Not Even The Stars In The Sky
by Sarra Ambrai
Summary: Jubilation Lee is out of the superhero business for good. Until she's murdered. Then she finds herself treading a much darker and interesting path than she could ever have pictured.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my attempt to make Jubilee more relevant to what is currently going on in comics. Of course, I'm going to take what I like and use it, so it's a little on the alternate universe side. I'm also trying a new writing style. Hope you enjoy it! **

**Not Even The Stars In The Sky**

Jubilation Lee was out of the superhero business for good. Really, after some reflection, she decided that this was a long time coming. How many signs from above did she need, anyway? Her team of young mutants had disbanded a while ago, her powers had been lost, and her foray into the world of technologically-powered superheroes had met with one disaster after another. Once, she had even died.

So that was it.

Making the decision had been easy. Figuring out what to do with herself afterward had been anything but. She was adrift in a world of normalcy and had very little practice in dealing with it. And she got bored easily. After several weeks of coming to terms with her so called lot in life, she decided that what she really needed were all of the basics covered. And these basics were what she had missed out on completely during her days as a teenaged superhero. It was amazing the things that had been overlooked.

Like a drivers license and most basic form of identification. Who needed a driver's license anyway when you had jets that flew, friends that flew, rich headmistresses to arrange drivers, and technology that allowed you to fly or teleport wherever and whenever? And more often than not, it was easier for Jubilee to _not _be identified while traveling and use whatever fake happened to be provided by the X-men or Frost or whomever. She was pretty sure that the only complete file on her that spoke of her existence was with the X-men. And maybe SHIELD. Which was now HAMMER. And that would never do.

Luckily, a certain Canucklehead had provided her with at least two financial accounts with her name on it and the information had been sent to her a scant week after M-Day. A debit card, a check book, and a short note saying to call if she needed anything ever. It had taken a great deal of resolve to _not_ call to _not_ need or want or feel vulnerable or alone or a myriad of other things. She had sent a quick thank you note and worked hard to not spend more than strictly necessary, but after the New Warriors and their financing had fallen through, it became paramount to find a job that offered more than just minimum wage.

So now, Jubilee needed the basics covered. And since Wolverine was on every superhero team the world had left, and was therefore extremely busy, Jubilee opted for another avenue.

It took Gambit two weeks to get back to her. He was, of course, off with Rogue and dealing with the typical drama that built up around a life of being in a mutant minority, an X-men, a man who would sometimes find himself on the _other_ side in a fight, and having a near-crazy girlfriend with life-sucking powers. Apparently, Rogue was doing well, all things considered.

Gambit's response had been a manilla envelope complete with three separate I.D.'s, each including driver's license, passport, social security, and on top of this, yet another bank account with a hundred thousand dollars in it. For emergencies, of course. Gambit was shameless. One of the I.D's was even Jubilee's actual name, but it was nice to know that if trouble ensued she could hop a flight to anywhere in the world as Jing Mei Ziyi, or, God forbid, _Lilith Banks._

Also, because he's Remy, all three I.D.'s listed Jubilee as twenty-one years old despite her nineteen years of age. The Cajun knew his priorities without a doubt.

So, naturally, Jubilee got a job at a bar.

She told herself that is was a temporary measure, a chance to figure out what to do and where to go next. Six weeks later, Jubilee discovered that it was rather difficult to leave as the money was damn good and it was the type to attract men prone to fighting. And this satisfied a deep and secret need within her to bust a couple of skulls together and watch with satisfaction as surprise dawned across their rough--and sometimes ruggedly handsome--faces as they realized it was the cute little Asian waitress with the nice, grab-worthy ass that was able to kick them around like so much trash on the streets. And not even mess up her makeup while doing it.

It was a small, but delightful pleasure.

"Alright, bub, _here's_ your table!" Jubilee used the biker's natural momentum to pitch him forward, nose over his toes, and his large bulk helped his head collide with the cheep wood very nicely.

A hearty cheer went up through the bar, followed by good-natured applause. After a short week, the regulars had quickly decided that they appreciated Jubilee's ability to kick asses much bigger than her own. Nothing like the entertainment value of watching a cute waitress show you the error of your ways. This had been an immense relief to Jubilee who thought she was going to get fired in her first week for breaking some dumb-ass's nose.

"You little _bitch!"_ The newcomer did not take his abject lesson well. Jubilee braced herself, planning on going for the groin next. However, Tom and Jerry--no joke--decided to intervene. Both guys were big in their own right, and came up from behind Jubilee, each grabbing the newcomer's hefty arms and helped his ass find his seat.

"Now, look here you asshole--" Jerry started.

"You want to grab a beer and some grub here, that's fine--" Tom continued.

"But don't expect to insult the pretty help--"

"Without getting your balls kneed up to your neck--"

They knew Jubilee's work well.

"So how about you sit down here and let Rachel over there grab you a brew--" Jerry continued.

"Cause Jubes won't be inclined to," said Tom.

"And we can all go back to our pleasant evening," finished Jerry, who then turned back to Jubilee. Jubilee couldn't quite decide if she was was angry or just upset with the two for spoiling her fun. Her face contorted into a sort of pout coupled with her infamous glare. Jerry, who was retired Special Forces and twice her age, recalled a mission in China and a girl he'd met there, and a small part of him wished he was in a different phase of his life. One in which he was younger and unmarried.

Thinking this, Jerry gave Jubilee a self-satisfied smile.

"Why the fuck did you guys go and do that?! I ought to knee _you_ in the goddamn groin for thinking I couldn't handle it myself! Talk about _insulting_ a girl, Jerry, _geez louise,_ did I _ask _for your assistance? Didn't anyone ever teach you to mind your own damn business?!" At this point, Jubilee's pretty, luscious pink pout had completely given away to her full on fiery blue glare and Jerry felt the smile fall right off his face.

"Hey, Jubes, we were just trying to give you a friendly hand."

"Yeah, well, next time _don't!_ I don't _need_ it and I don't _want_ it and I sure as shit didn't _ask_ for it! God, you all are just so-so--your just--_men!_ You are just _so_ a freaking **man**_!"_

With that, Jubilee turned sharply and stalked toward the bar, so incensed that if she still had the ability, she'd literally be shooting sparks from her fingers, hot, fire-red, angry globules that would spit and hiss and burn. This unbidden thought about her lost powers increased Jubilee's anger ten-fold--so much that tears pricked her eyes, proceeding to make her even more furious. She was _not _helpless, she did _not_ need overgrown _men_ intervening on her behalf, and she did _not_ need Rachel giving her that exasperated look all over again as she went off to tend to Jubilee's latest victim.

"Anyone ever suggest that you might just have an issue with violence, Jubes?" Tom had followed her in her huff, enjoying the sight her hips and butt made in their angry stride away from him.

Jubilee sniffed, glad to have someone to focus her wrath on.

"Yeah. A couple of idiots have mentioned it. I made them realize that_ I_ didn't have a problem with violence so much as _they _had a problem with sticking their noses where they don't belong!"

"Well, the first step is admitting--"

"Oh, shut the hell up. _You_ are _hardly_ one to talk after putting two guys in the ER last weekend."

Tom gave her a wolfish grin that reminded her of another's wolfish grin and her hands itched with her absent mutation all over again.

"True," he concedes happily. "I often find that if there were less so-called idiots in the world, then there would be less of a need to implement such violence. Ultimately, we're not exactly responsible for stupid people."

"And therefore not responsible for the inevitable violence?" Jubilee decided that Tom was growing on her more and more.

Tom gave her an amused look as Jerry came up to join him once again.

"That's...one way to put it." Jerry gave him a look and Tom quickly decided that Jubilee wasn't in the mood to talk about being responsible for her own actions tonight of all nights. There was something eating away at their favorite little blue-eyed hellcat and despite their dual background as professionally trained, government sanctioned badasses, neither of them particularly wanted to get on her bad side tonight.

Jubilee capitulated with a smile. This is why she liked this bar; because it catered to guys like Tom and Jerry. Veterans and current soldiers of SHIELD, military, and Special Forces especially. Fights happened when badass-wannabe's wondered in and decided to to get uppity, or sometimes there was just an enjoyable tussle between some of the regulars when they simply got bored. And once they realized that the little Asian girl could actually hold her own, she quickly became their favorite.

What they didn't fully realize, is they liked Jubilee for the same reason _she_ liked_ them._ It was easier for Jubilee to be around people who had experience with combat, all that went with it and generally disastrous situations. What they didn't understand about Jubilee, is that she was a veteran in her own right, had indeed fought in some battles that would make some of the most experienced patrons raise their brows in shock and surprise. Aliens do that.

"Yeah, well, Jer, that's nice of you to say. Shocking as it may be, I _did_ grow up with a guy who believed in the concept of peace...even if you did have to brake a bone or two in order to achieve it." Jubilee's thoughts drifted towards the Professor, who recently had dark secrets come into the dawn, and Scott, who had sanctioned an X-team full of killers.

"Is he the guy who taught you that haymaker from last night?" Tom asked.

This time, Jubilee's grin was infectious. "Nah...the guy who taught me that...well, let's just say, he'd impress even you two." The veterans exchanged a look of amused doubt, fully confident that they had seen far too much to be surprised by Jubilee's anonymous fight instructor.

The two men watched her grin give way to a soft, despairing look that made her look beautifully vulnerable. They both recognized it as a sign of trouble, because as soon as Jubilee realized that she had allowed herself to show said vulnerability, she'd then find the quickest way to pick her next fight. It was an exponentially growing problem.

They distracted her with beer.

"Two more, Jubes, and keep 'em comin' huh?" Tom asked.

She quickly obliged them as Rachel came back up to the bar. With a very familiar frown on her face.

"Look, Jubilee, maybe you should spend the rest of the night behind the bar and leave the tables to us, k?" Rachel did a good job of hiding her annoyance in an effort to sound diplomatic toward the most recalcitrant cocktail waitress the bar had.

"Yeah, Jubes, your damn near genius at making drinks," Tom offered up in a helpful tone.

"And the way you pour beer..." Jerry grinned with appreciation.

Jubilee rolled her eyes and glared. "The _way I pour beer?_ Really? You guys are pathetic, but _yes,_ I'll stay behind the bar like a good little girl and cater to your manly needs of alcohol and staring at my ass."

Jerry leaned towards Tom. "She knows we stare at her ass, Tom," he said in stage whisper.

"She's on to us, Jerry," he returned.

"Scared for your own ass yet?"

"Just promise me you won't leave me alone with her, man."

"You guys do realize that neither of you have _actually_ gone up against me yet, right?" Jubilee's voice was sweet venom.

The two men quickly decided to go for pleasing her without even bothering to share a glance between them.

"And you won't be doing it anytime, either, Jubilee," Jerry said.

"We're too concerned about our image to risk letting the whole bar watch us get beat up by the prettiest girl here," said Tom.

Jubilee ground her teeth, knowing they were simply trying to placate her. "Shut the fuck up and drink your goddamn beer."

****

Jubilee let out a long suffering sigh as she made her way through the bottles of liquor, cleaning and mentally noting what needed to be restocked. Her hands itched. Her hands always itched on days when it really got to her, when it really weighed her down. An irritating, tingly feeling right below the skin that no amount of scratching could alleviate. A sort of buzzing of absent energy that drove her to distraction.

She knew it wasn't really there; that is was all in her head. There could be no real feeling, no real itching because there was no real energy there.

She was one of the decimated.

"Damn it!" The beer glass slipped through the wet towel she was holding on to it with, hit the counter on the way down, and slammed into the floor, shattering into pieces. "God damn it!"

A large figure slowly made his way behind the bar and towards her with a broom and bin in one hand.

"You seem distracted," Jerry observed, starting to sweep the shards into the bin. "Don't touch any of it."

"You shouldn't be behind the bar, Jer." Jubilee had no real emotion in her voice as she blankly watched the big man handle the broom like a pro.

"Do you have any idea how many times I saved Joe's ass in the field?" Joe was the owner and manager of--wait for it--_Joe's Bar. _He knew how to run a great business that accommodates his old buddies, but he had zero imagination. "I go where I want."

"That excuse is used by every ex-soldier here when they want to go where they shouldn't. Usually it's to get in with a cute waitress."

"Nobody gets in with you though, huh?"

"Since when are you interested in my love life?"

"I'm just saying...a guy to date might lighten your mood."

Jubilee rolled her eyes in disdain. "And you've got the perfect young Marine for my to meet, huh? Don't bother. I like guys who's hair doesn't have to follow the strict dress code."

Jerry laughed out loud at this. "Hell no. Never in a million years would I ever suggest some young asshole in our line of work. You deserve a nice, decent young man."

Jubilee chuckled. "A nice, decent young man wouldn't know what to do with me. But your sweet for saying so. I guess."

"How bout you call it a night, Jubilee?" Joe came round from the back to collect the cash register. "I can finish up here with Jerry."

"Jerry doesn't even work here."

"Do you have any idea how many times I saved his ass in combat? He can stay and help me clean up one damn night." Joe gave a lopsided grin, pronounced by the fact that someone had introduced his face to a knife at one point and the resulting scar crossed one whole cheek and sliced into his upper lip, giving him a one of a kind smile that scared children and bad patrons.

Jubilee gave Jerry a look. "What? Is that like a running joke with you guys or something? Ass-saving? Do you have a running tally somewhere?"

"I wish. Cause then there would be proof that Joe owes his life to me more times than I owe my life to him." This, he said with greater volume and Joe's grin got even uglier.

Jubilee's face grew thoughtful. "Yeah, well, if you really try, it can get hard to keep track of, huh?"

"Done a lot of ass-saving in your time?" Jerry's tone was puzzled and doubtful.

Jubilee opted for evasion. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Y'know, Jubes, one of these days we're gonna figure you out." Joe said.

"Smarter men than you two have tried." Jubilee smiled to take the sting out of her words.

"See, Joe, this is why she's my favorite. Always quick with an insult, our Jubilee."

Jubilee reached into a back cupboard to retrieve her purse. "Well, if you say I can go, I'm outta here. Thanks guys!" Jubilee headed quickly towards the door; she didn't need to be told twice.

"Make sure you get a cab and don't walk home at this time of night, Jubilee!"

The two men watched her leave with some concern, but totally unaware that it was the last time they were going to see her.


	2. Chapter 2

Joe's parting words called out after her as she exited the bar and walked out onto the still busy New York street. She, of course, had absolutely no intention of following her boss's order. She was too restless, too antsy, and had no patience with the idea of sitting quietly in the back of some cab the whole way home to her apartment. Plus, it cost her well-earned , there was nothing like a nice walk home to get a girl's mind off her worries. Much later, when her full faculties were returned to her, Jubilee wouldn't be able to help but wonder at that finicky thing called fate and just how much of a hold it had on her life.

For now, though, she was completely and utterly shocked to see the building just ahead of her--and only _ten minutes_ away from her home no less--explode outward in a wave of shattered glass and crumbling concrete. Jubilee sucked in the inevitable gasp, and immediately started to choke on the dust. She shut her eyes against the onslaught and bent over to cough up her now dirt-invaded lungs.

Then the crying began. I singular, high-pitched wail of sheer terror. Not the typical and numerous screams and shouts of fear and cries for help. _It says something about me that I know what this should sound like,_ Jubilee thought with irritation. But this was different. This was a lone cry and a _young_ one to boot.

No sooner had the thought come than Jubilee found herself propelling towards the wreckage full on, instead of running in the opposite direction for some much needed fresh, dust-free air. She threw her arms out in front of her for necessity; the dust and grit was too thick to see through properly. Also, if there was going to be fire, she wanted to feel the heat before she tripped into the flames head first.

"Hello! Where are you?! Are you injured?" Jubilee's voice was raspy as she shouted. _This is stupid, I don't even know what I'm thinking, I should have just called 911, hopefully someone on the street figured that much out. _

Jubilee ran through the hole that was formerly a wall, afraid of what she might find. Luckily, whatever triggered the detonation wasn't your average explosive; it was more like a shock wave forced the building to erupt like a volcano--minus the spewing lava--leaving the inside relatively free of fire and damage. _Which would normally be of the good, so why do I have such a bad feeling?_

"Shit!" Jubilee tripped over a piece of rubble and fell to her knees with a jar, pain shooting up both legs. Her hands tingled again in sympathy. "God, I suck at life. I shouldn't even be here."

The cry came out again, as if to prove her wrong and tugged at her need to help where she was able. She picked herself back up with determination and carefully continued, seeking the terrified sound emanating from somewhere indistinct. It was only a few more steps before she found the utterly unexpected.

A lone unconscious man.

Her first split-second reaction was to check his vitals, make sure he was alive, and then proceed to resuscitate if necessary. Her next reaction was to give him a good sized kick to make sure he was dead or at least maintaining his unconscious state. This gut reaction came to her as she processed the ridiculous and particular shade of green the man's armor was underneath the grime.

"Hydra. Fucking Hydra. Great." Jubilee looked up from the insensate and plausibly dead green man as another wail let out through the destruction and dropped her mouth in shock. "What the hell does Hydra want with a _baby?_"

She quickly stepped over the Hydra Agent in and effort to reach the tiny being that was abandoned, alone, and in dire need of her help. The baby was, in a word, adorable. Soft creamy brown skin was tinged with grey due to building dust, and what was once a cute little pink onesie with a purple unicorn on it was now dirty and grungy. Jubilee brushed back deep brown curls, checking the little girl for any injuries.

"Okay, okay, you're all right now. The bad green man is down and Jubilee's here to take care of you."

Not at all encouraged by this, the little girl let out another wail of desperation.

"Trust me, it's not a s bad as it sounds. I'm really a lot more experienced at this sort of thing than you might think. Although super-strong armor would be a super big help, because, after all, where one of these assholes fall, a hundred more fuckers rise to take his place." Jubilee stopped abruptly to assess the look of the little munchkin in her arms. She had no real experience in judging baby age, but guessed that the girl was still under a year.

"Yeah, you have no idea what those bad words mean yet, huh? Sides, I don't think I'm in danger of corrupting you if you've just been kidnapped by fucking _Hydra_."

A chill raced up and down Jubilee's spine, now that the surprise of finding first a Hydra Agent and then a baby faded into true realization of her circumstances. She had no powers, no weapons, no Wondra armor. She was completely in over her head with no real help on the way.

"Okay, we need to get out of here and we need to do it now. Anytime you want to stop screaming like a, well, like a baby, would be great because I don't want you bringing the next hundred right down on top of us."

Jubilee made for the exit, wondering where the hell she might go next. Her apartment was just down the street, but too close to the fight for her comfort. She needed to get to her cell. She needed to make a certain phone call.

So it would be great if she could remember just where exactly she had dropped her bag while rushing into the exploded building to help.

Turns out, she didn't need it.

"Alright, you. Drop the baby and I won't do terrible, unimaginable things to you that involves lots of sticky web fluid!"

Jubilee wrinkled her nose. "'_Drop the baby?'_ Really?! That just sounds like a good way to hurt her where the explosion failed, _Spiderman._"

Jubilee turned, and sure enough, was met by the red and blue covered wallcrawler sticking fast to the side of the building next to the ruined, crumbling one. The baby seemed to recognize the superhero as her squalling raised a few notches on the decibel level and was accompanied with desperate little arms reaching out for him.

_Traitor,_ Jubilee thought._ I pulled you out of the rubble, but all you do for me is cry._

"Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best way I could phrase that statement," Spiderman admitted. "I blame it on the truck that was dropped on my head not five minutes ago. But you had better give me that baby or, I swear to all that is holy and super-powered, you will really freaking regret it."

A stubborn streak of curiosity rose up in Jubilee.

"Why? Who is she? Why the hell is Hydra after her?"

"Oh, recognize the stupid green costumes, did you? Y'know, I really, really hate the color green. For so, so many reasons. And the fact that you recognize Hydra just makes you more dangerous in my book. Hand her over now."

The baby continued to reach for him as if to prove his point.

Jubilee let out a sigh. _Just do it, Jubes. This isn't your fight, this isn't your world anymore. He has the superpowers to get the job done._

"Alright, alright. But, just for the record, Spidey, I'm one of the good guys."

"One of the good guys who I don't know and recognizes Hydra."

"You sound like a five year old."

Spiderman pushed off the building and did a beautiful double-flip that landed him right in front of her. Jubilee grew incredibly envious at his easy fluidity.

"I've been accused of much worse."

Unbeknownst to Jubilee, a certain sense started to violently tingle, and next thing she knew, she was pushed down onto the street, baby and all. Another explosion rocked the street and it was suddenly raining men. Green-clad, armored-up men with weapons.

"Here come the hundred!" Jubilee shouted, holding on to the little girl tightly.

"Hang onto me!" Spiderman shouted and pointed his wrist at the nearest upright building. Strong arms wrapped around her, powerful legs pushed upward into a mighty leap, and air whooshed past her in a very familiar feeling. Almost like flying with Rogue or Storm. Then her stomach suddenly plummeted and the rest of her went with it, and much to Jubilee's dismay, she couldn't quite keep in her squeal of thrill and fright. Then she was lifted upwards again through the air and between the buildings at an awesome speed.

_Holy freaking crap I'm swinging through New York with Spiderman! Like Tarzan through the jungle. Isn't there another word they use for it?_

He propelled them safely onto the rooftop of an intact building down the street and Jubilee desperately clung to both Spiderman and the little girl, taking deep breaths, and trying to get her head on straight again. Jubilee gave the baby girl an incredulous look.

"Is she _laughing? _She's laughing! I don't believe it! I'm trying hard not toss my cookies, man," Jubilee moaned.

"I really wish you wouldn't," said Spiderman. "Or at least let go of me before you do."

"I'm good. Really. Sort of." Jubilee stepped back from him with some effort. Her legs were a little shaky, but she'd die before she showed any more weakness than she already had. Under the right circumstances, web-slinging was the kind of thing she'd love to do for recreation, however, her first experience was a little more than she bargained for.

"Oh man _oh man!_ This is not good! Where the hell did everybody else go?!" Spiderman was looking back at the course they had swung.

"What do you mean _where did they go?_ They're all down there! And they're all heading in this direction!" Spiderman had gained a good head start on the Hydra Agents, but they had rallied and were headed their way much like a swarm of angry hornets. Angry mutated, _green_ hornets.

"Not them. The _Avengers_. My good Avengers, not the crazy murdering psychopath Avengers," he clarified.

"Not a solo job then? That's definitely of the good. I mean, really, all we have to is out run them for long enough, huh? So let's go!" Jubilee shouted. _And I promise myself that I will _not _throw up. If the little brat can giggle through this, than so can I._

"Damn it! It's not that simple. Going after Danielle is just part of it. I can't just leave and let them get the A.I.M. tech they were after unless I know the others are on it for sure." Spiderman was nervously rubbing at his costume-covered head like he was desperately trying to pull out his hair which was covered up and inaccessible.

Jubilee clutched the baby to her tighter. "Danielle? Who is she? Why are they after her?"

Spiderman gave what Jubilee could easily guess was an assessing look. The guy really did just ooze body language for how covered up he insisted on being.

"Little Danielle _Cage_. As in Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' little girl."

"Holy _crap!"_ Normally that revelation would be worth a swear word or two, but the combined presence of both baby and Spiderman helped Jubilee control herself.

"Yeah. Exactly. Ah, screw the tech. Dani is the priority here. Look, I'm sorry for getting you involved in this, but you had better let me swing you out of here too. They probably made you back there and I can't just leave the pretty Asian girl on a roof for them to find."

_Pretty Asian girl? _Jubilee thought with some surprise.

No sooner had Spiderman stated that, then yet another detonation shuddered down the street and it was followed by the usual screams of terror and shouts for help.

"Son of a _bitch!_' This time there was no editing herself.

Jubilee shot a look behind her, quickly finding what she was hoping for--a fire escape and a way for her to get herself onto the street without any fancy super-heroing.

"Look, Spidey, you gotta go help those people!"

"Dani--"

"I got this. Trust me."

"I can't just--"

"I'm friends with Wolverine! Tell him Jubilee's got Dani!"

"_Jubilee? _And you expect me to believe that _that's_ your real name?"

Jubilee glared in ultimate annoyance.

"I told you I'm one of the good guys so let me help! Meet me at a place called Joe's Bar as soon as you can; it's several blocks south of here." Jubilee gave him a look of paramount earnest, hoping he would believe her, hoping she could do what she promised, _knowing_ there were already dead and innocent people down on the street beyond either of their help.

"You're going to take a baby to a _bar?_ You _are_ friends with Wolverine, huh? Okay, but, just to be absolutely sure--what's his _real_ name? His really real, got his memories back name?"

"James Howlett. NOW _GO!"_

"I'm crazy for doing this. There are still a million reasons to not trust you. Plenty of evil people know his real name these days. Not that you look evil. Cause you don't. You're pretty and Asian--"

"Chinese to be exact."

"And I personally think you're too pretty to be associated with the little berserker--"

"Oh for--"

"Not to mention _young. _Does the man not have any morals?"

"Would you please shut the fuck up and go save those people?!_"_

"Innocent people, right. Leave the innocent, defenseless baby to go help the innocent, defenseless people."

_Boom!_ More screams, followed up by flames this time.

"Joe's Bar. Got it. I'm gone. And just for the record if you _are_ lying what Luke and Jess and Wolverine will do to me won't be half as bad as what they'll do to you."

And with that, Spiderman swan dove off the side of the building leaving Jubilee alone and solely responsible for the cute little bundle of hugely potential trouble. Jubilee turned and bolted toward the fire escape taking the iron steps two at a time, going fast as she trusted, not wanting to trip and fall with a baby in her arms this time. She hit the pavement with a jar that made little Dani squeal and ran off into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the _fuck_ do you mean you _fucking_ left her with some Asian chick?! Are you crazy in the head?! Have you finally gone fucking demented?! Well, this is it, Pete, this is where you die _because I'm going to fucking kill you!"_ Jessica Jones, former superhero Jewel with the purple hair, former Private Eye, current enraged mother, forcibly used her super strength to pick Spiderman up by the costume with one hand and formed a threatening fist with the other.

Having just come from saving about a dozen innocents from a fire that he would otherwise been unable to with a baby to protect, Peter Parker realized that he had indeed finally lost his sanity and quailed under Jessica's wrath. His only saving grace was that Luke had not caught up with them yet.

He was not looking forward to when he did.

"Look, Jess, I actually think we can trust her. I think she's like Wolverine's girlfriend or something."

"Wolverine's girlfriend?! _Wolverine's girlfriend?!" _Jessica rose up into the air and pitched Spiderman into the nearest wall hard enough to send him _through it_ just in time for Jessica Drew, Spider_woman_ to fly onto the scene. Jessica Drew needed to only take one look at the other woman's face to make the wise decision to stand back instead of try to interfere on her fellow spidery Avenger's behalf.

A very faint and very tired "_Ow"_ emanated from the wreckage.

Danny, the Iron Fist arrived right behind Spiderwoman.

"Uh...is Jess brainwashed? Is this one of those things where we're forced to fight each other instead of the bad guys?"

Jessica flew down to pick Spiderman back up. This time she delivered a full on punch to his masked face and the others made a sympathetic grimace as something audibly broke. Most likely his nose.

"Augh. _Ow._ Owowow. Jess, look, I see where you coming from, I do," Spiderman's voice was thick as the front of his mask was stained red. "But can we at least _go_ to this Joe's or whatever and _see_ if she's there before we commence with the slowly torturing me to death? Because, I swear to god I'll _beg _you to torture me to death if I'm wrong about this. I'd never leave Dani with her if I didn't think she could be trusted."

"He _left_ little Dani with someone?" Her namesake growled out. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

At this point, Luke Cage, man of unbreakable skin, father of the endangered little girl himself, showed up with the rest of the team, Wolverine included.

"And just _what_ exactly made you think you could trust her _besides_ saying she knew Wolverine?" Jessica shouted.

Logan's predatory gaze focused on Parker at the mention of his name and his nose sniffed at the air, taking in the new scents.

"Honestly? She didn't set off my spider sense. She _isn't_ a danger, Jess."

Jessica processed this information and slowly set Peter back on the roof, wanting desperately to trust his instincts, to trust that her little girl really, truly was going to be safe. She took in a deep breath to steady herself. She still wanted to fucking scream.

Spiderman noticed Wolverine's arrival and let out a shout of relief. "Hey, see, here's Wolvie. Logan, tell her. I found your girlfriend, she--"

"What the hell, Webs? I don't have girlfriend."

Every Avenger on the roof could sense the expression fall right off of Spiderman's face despite his mask.

Jessica drew back her fist for another punch. However, Wolverine beat her to it, having caught the familiar in the wind. He moved fast, caught her fist in his adamantium one and pulled her away from Parker. Luke moved up to intervene on his wife's behalf as Logan leaned into give Spiderman a good sniff.

"You had _better_ tell me somethin' I wanna here, man." Luke Cage's voice was deadly.

Logan took a step back, his nose wrinkled in distaste. "You really need to _wash_ that thing every once in a while, Parker."

"_Wolverine--" _Jessica's voice was positively strangled with maternal rage.

"Was she short, cute, and Asian, Webs? Blue eyes?"

Spiderman thought he'd faint with relief.

"YES! Yes, yes, and yes! Oh, man, you have _no_ idea how glad I am to hear you say that!"

Wolverine nodded, aware that a deep sense of pride was welling up within him.

"Don't you worry, Jess. Jubilee would sooner die than let anything happen to your baby girl."

Unfortunately, what Wolverine said, turned out to be very, very true.

****

"Okay, okay. Danielle Cage, huh? Wow, kid, I really know how to pick 'em. Well, I guess this is one way to actually see Wolvie, huh? Course he's probably off with the X-men tonight. Of _course._"

Jubilee shifted Dani from one arm to the other as she banged loudly on the backdoor of Joe's bar.

"He's probably gone, but who knows?"

Dani had apparently decided that Jubilee was considered one of the good guys even if Spiderman had still shown doubt. The baby had taken to staring up at her with big brown eyes and an expression that seemed curious and surprised.

"Just between us girls? You're way cuter when you're not crying."

Jubilee reached to flip up the cover on the alarm pad Joe kept on the backdoor. Only those he really trusted got the code in case they needed to get off the streets after ours. Triggering the code, immediately triggered a camera on the inside--Joe trusted people, but he was always super careful.

_Comes with a colorful past, _Jubilee thought. _Well, once he sees these security tapes, he'll finally get quite the insight_ _into my past._

"People always said sacrifices had to be made where kids are involved. Guess they were right."

Jubilee shut and locked the door behind her and flipped the light switch. She made her way to the front, looking around at the empty bar, the empty booths and tables, listening to the lack of sound--something that she hardly ever experienced in her workplace. Dani looked from Jubilee to the empty bar than back to Jubilee. She grinned an adorable baby grin and Jubilee couldn't help but respond.

"Less than a year and already a fan? Girl after my own heart. I see us getting along in the near future, kiddo."

Suddenly exhausted, Jubilee picked the nearest booth and sat down, sincerely hoping it wouldn't be long before Spiderman brought the calvary. Danielle's parents had to be absolutely terrified for her, Jubilee couldn't imagine it taking much longer for them to arrive to retrieve their offspring. Unless whatever Hydra had going on with the A.I.M technology had completely overwhelmed them. Which meant that Jubilee probably was in far more trouble than she could handle. After all, it was Spidey who had come for Dani in the first place and not Luke or Jessica.

With a sick feeling in her stomach, Jubilee cuddled little Dani to her chest and began what she hoped was more of a soothing rocking motion more than a nervous twitch. If Jubilee was beyond exhausted than the baby should pass out any moment.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I'm sure your mommy and daddy will be here any second and then everything is going to be just fine."

Jubilee suppressed a yawn and leaned back into the vinyl covered seat.

"Maybe I should put on a pot of coffee or something. It' crap, but it's caffeinated."

Dani gave her an incredulous look.

"You'll understand when you're older."

Not wanting to leave her alone, and guessing that she'd probably roll off the booth if left unattended, Jubilee readjusted Dani's weight and walked over behind the bar.

"Well, this is an interesting surprise" said a cold voice.

Jubilee gasped with a start; there were few people who could sneak up on her these days. At the back of the building, standing ominously in the shadows so that all she could see was his tall, lean outline, stood a man. His mere presence was enough to send a shudder down Jubilee's spine. Dani, who obviously agreed with Jubilee's assessment of the situation, began to cry.

"The young child of Avengers yet no Avengers to protect her. Just a a lone, young girl."

"Yeah, well this 'lone, young girl' is about to kick your ass, bub." Jubilee figured her threat would have been more impressive if her voice wasn't uncontrollably shaking.

The man sighed in tantamount resignation. "Ah, yes, the part where you put up the inevitable and ultimately ineffectual fight to protect your young ward. I always find this _so_ tedious."

"Well, I'm just _so_ sorry to be the boring part of your night. By the way, you really know how to give a girl a compliment."

Dani wriggled in Jubilee's arms like she was anxious to get out of there. Jubilee sympathized with her, but her instincts told her that running would be useless against this man and only force him to act against them sooner. Their only hope was to stall long enough for the Avengers to come to their rescue.

"Out of curiosity, how _did_ you end up responsible for the young Miss Cage?"

_A conversationalist, _thought Jubilee. _Thank God._

"You know, wrong place, wrong time. Building blew up right in front of me, I ran in to help, ended up with the kiddo. What do you want with her anyway?"

"Indeed? Somebody has a burgeoning heroic streak within. How cute. A pity that will end for you tonight. One way or the other. Your choice, of course. You could just simply hand her over to me." His voice held a seductive, tempting edge.

Jubilee swallowed against the bile in her throat.

"Last time I checked, Hydra wasn't one for leaving witnesses alive. They freaking _hate _loose ends." Jubilee squinted at the dark corner the man was standing in, wondering if she could make out green clothes. He obviously wasn't a typical Agent.

"Someone who recognizes Hydra when she sees them. Interesting. I find them to be lacking as time goes on--"

"I should say so. I found Dani next to a green clad unconscious moron. Just for the record, those guys never impressed me anyway." Jubilee stubbornly stuck her chin out for emphasis.

"Are you aware that there are exactly four telltale signs on your face when you lie? Compared to most people, you're actually quite practiced at it. Now, _give me Danielle_."

Jubilee rolled her eyes, hoping her disdain covered up her fear. "You know I'm not going to."

"No, I suppose not." The man took a step forward, bringing himself into the dim bar lighting. He was tall, lean, handsome. His face was cold and cruel, and he wore dark shades to cover his eyes, emphasizing his lack of humanity. He wore his beautiful jet black hair long and unbound so that it fell down to his waste and his clothes were visibly expensive. "I will not ask again."

_Technically you didn't ask the first time, _Jubilee thought. Jubilee's eyes flitted to the katana slung over his shoulder. Curiosity was eating away at her along with her fear.

_"Who _are you exactly?"

The man gave her a calculating look like he was deciding whether or not he could trust her with his identity.

"You recognize Hydra on sight, but not me." He said it more to himself than to her. He reached up to remove his designer sunglasses, revealing white-bright eyes, pupil-less and eerily glowing with power. "Do you know the Avengers?"

Jubilee swallowed hard, mesmerized by his eyes, unable to look away. Dani's cries became louder, more urgent, more fearful.

"Actually, yeah. I know one of 'em. Sorry to say, that's bad news for you. Hurting me will only bring you a _world _of fucking _hurt_!"

He grinned and Jubilee instantly wished he would stop. "Now I'm pleasantly intrigued. Tell me, when I kill you, who will be your very own...personal...Avenger?"

Jubilee took a breath, let it out. If _any_ of the Avengers could possibly, remotely intimidate this man, make him hesitate in his murderous intentions, it would be _her _Avenger.

"Wolverine. I know Wolverine." Her voice was harder than adamantium.

The evil man with the glowing eyes stopped abruptly, every muscle in his body effectively frozen. A small, but insistent spark of hope burned into existence within Jubilee.

"Heard of him, haven't you? He's on his way too. Spiderman's assembling the Avengers and they're coming for Dani. Notice any telltale signs of lying _now_?"

The man's eyes flashed with power and he intently looked around the bar and beyond through the windows.

_Oh my God, it worked. I got to him. Wolverine's name means something to him._

Then he smiled. Dangerous and satisfied. "No, I don't. But they won't get here in time to save you."

And the small spark of hope snuffed out; he wasn't the only one who could tell a lie from truth.

"At least tell a girl why she has to die young, huh?" There was no hiding the shaking in her voice now.

"Cage and his team overstepped their boundaries. I'm a firm believer in teaching someone the error in crossing certain lines with me. After all, no one upsets the Gorgon without _deep_ and _terrible_ regret."

Jubilee's face turned white as death. "The Gorgon?" she whispered.

"Ah, now _there's_ the recognition I desired. And now I have two avenues for revenge rather than just one." His bright eyes seemed to alternate their focus between Jubilee and Dani, but it was impossible to tell for sure.

Jubilee clutched Dani to her tighter. "_Revenge?_ Really? Could you be more cliche?"

"There's a reason, cliches are cliches my dear young, pretty friend of Wolverine's. For one, they are timeless. And very, _very_ effective."

"And here I thought you guys were after tech." Jubilee's nervous talking habit did not quail in the face of death. If she was talking, then she wasn't dead yet.

"Hydra's simple concerns were a mere distraction for the true end game." His enigmatic gaze brightened again. "And that now includes _you."_

Jubilee made a split-second, desperate decision. She dropped down and set Danielle on the floor behind the bar for what little protection it could provide, then rolled away from the baby and straight at one of the most dangerous men in the world. She shot her leg out, lightning fast, aiming for his knee cap and missed because he was too fast for her. Fast enough to go for Dani while Jubilee was attempting to fight him. Luckily, Jubilee had guessed her adversary correctly. He was too interested in playing with her than going for the baby while she was still alive.

Jubilee shot up to her feet, and dodged to the side, fast enough to save her own life, but not fast enough to avoid the deadly edge of the Gorgon's katana entirely. He grazed her arm and the blood flowed free. He arched across, intending for decapitation, and Jubilee ducked. He carried his momentum and his katana lower and Jubilee back flipped just in time, seconds away from loosing both legs below the knee.

"A surprising raw talent. It is a sincere disappointment that you were not trained correctly."

Jubilee ignored the jibe, and lunged forward into a front handspring, hoping her feet would connect with his head. They didn't. She carried through, sticking the landing and immediately swung her fist back in a hammer punch. She missed again and the Gorgon caught her wrist in his powerful hand, swinging her around to face him. He exerted pressure, grinding her bones together painfully and Jubilee dropped to her knees with a cry.

"Auuggh!"

"You're prettier when you're on your knees, dear. It's very becoming on you." He squeezed his hand decisively and Jubilee's wrist snapped under the pressure.

"Aaoow--_Fuck_!" Tears of pain brimmed in her eyes.

"Blue eyes on a Chinese face. How exotic." The Gorgon brought his knee up sharply into her chest and Jubilee flew backwards onto the floor, robbed of her breath. She gasped desperately, writhing on the floor and seeing stars. She was dimly aware that Dani had stopped crying.

Jubilee felt him move over her, felt him calmly gaze down at her struggles. She rolled onto her side, attempting to pick herself up with her good hand. He slammed his fist into her face, sending her back down to the floor and Jubilee choked as her own blood ran down her throat. He had knocked her back teeth loose.

"Hm. Damn. They're faster than I had first anticipated." He leaned down so close that his cold lips brushed against Jubilee's ear like a lover's. "They're coming for you..."

Jubilee felt the deadly tip of his katana press down ever so slightly on her neck. The sharp tip sliced into her skin with minimal effort. Too drained to scream, Jubilee let out a whimper. The cold blade, sliced down her body trailing a line of white-hot pain, between her breasts, and halting at her abdomen.

"I must say I'm impressed. I expected begging. Good girl," he commended her. The Gorgon thrust the katana down, slicing clean through her liver and straight down into the wooden floor, effectively nailing her down. Dark, rich blood welled around the wound, and Jubilee felt herself drift into a light-headed, pain-filled existence.

"Congratulations, my dear, you saved Danielle's life. With you dying and left to taunt Wolverine, I think I made my point rather eloquently. You may keep my katana."

She didn't hear his footsteps as he walked away.

Several minutes later, Jubilee heard the reverberating thud as Luke Cage punched through the front door.


	4. Chapter 4

**You knew it was coming...I tried really hard to make this part powerful. **

"Sweet _Christmas!_--" Luke stopped abruptly in the broken doorway looking down on the bloody scene before him.

"Dani! _Dani!_ Is she in there?! Luke, get _out of the way!"_ Jessica exerted all of her strength, pushing her powerfully unbreakable husband aside in an effort to reach her daughter who started to cry out at familiar, parental voices.

Momentarily blind to all else, Jessica literally flew behind the bar to her stressed, dirtied, but otherwise healthy baby girl and clutched her to her chest which was now shaking uncontrollably with sobs of relief. "Oh thank God-thank _God!"_

Luke moved towards Jessica and Danielle with subdued relief. His daughter was safe and in her mother's arms where she belonged, but the young girl nailed to the floor would weigh heavily on him for a long time yet. He was the hero, the father. Danielle's safety was his responsibility. He shut his eyes and buried his head in Jessica's shoulder, one arm around his wife, one large hand on Danielle's tiny back and his face twisted in remorse at the wild cry so anguished it ripped at his guts.

Wolverine's cry summoned the other Avengers inside, fearing the absolute worst.

"Oh _NO! Nonononono! I shouldn't have left her! _I shouldn't have left her by herself--I should have--"

"Spider?" Bucky's voice was hard and unforgiving. "Shut up."

For once in his life, Peter Parker obeyed this particular request and hung his head low, finding it too hard, too terrible to watch the ever-grim expression on Wolverine's face contort into something undefinable as he knelt next to the impaled and dying Jubilee. The other Avenger's slowly filed in unsure of what to say, painfully aware that they had failed. Failed to get there in time, failed in saving a necessary life.

Wolverine took in a ragged breath; it seemed like the air was stolen from his lungs, like he couldn't breath, every gasp brought the scent of her blood and pain and fear into his nose. Logan tore his face mask off in an effort to see better. This wasn't happening. Not again. It was a trick, a delusion, a nightmare. If he didn't breathe, then the scent of her blood and imminent death wouldn't be there, wouldn't be real. What he was seeing couldn't be trusted. Different images flitted across his awareness.

Itsu's torn, baby-bereft body. Silver Fox raped and gutted. Mariko dead in his arms. Jean's death, tinged with fire. Kitty lost to the dark, desolate places in between the stars.

Jubilee lost in the desert, beaten, tortured, too thin. Jubilee hanging from a cross, just on the other side of death. Jubilee pinned beneath rubble, but not beyond his saving. Jubilee's bright blue eyes losing their light as her blood ran deep, dark red and warm against his skin.

"Logan." Her voice was a whisper, broken and toneless.

"Hey, darlin'. Hey, Jubilee." His throat constricted. "I'm here." He brushed her beautiful hair away from her pale face. He'd forgotten how long she kept it now.

"Kid safe?" Pride welled behind the rising tide of grief, small but insistent. In the end, she was a hero. He vowed she would be remembered for it.

"Yeah, Jubes, yeah, ya did--" He swallowed and tasted her blood. "Good. Ya did...good."

"Was Gorgon...I'm sorry...he wanted...to get to you--"

"_Goddamnit--" _His eyes darted to the katana sticking out of her like a promise to destroy all he cared for. The bastard's scent was all over it. If Wolverine removed it, he would only bring Jubilee more pain and make her death come quicker. "I know. God, Jubilation I am _so fucking sorry." _

Tears blurred his vision, dropped on her face to mingle with her sweat. He dropped his head down to hers, forehead to forehead. Her skin was already cold, her body was shaking, she had gone into shock well before they had arrived and her heartbeat was stuttering with every breath. Logan had a long and intimate relationship with death. He had known there was no saving her the moment he had stepped into the building and smelled her blood filling the room.

"Please, Logan..._please_...don't let him use me against you. No..." she gasped for breath. His grip tightened in her hair. "No apologies. Not...this time..."

Bright, vibrant blue eyes pierced him to his soul; he leaned in closer, so close he could taste her breath in his mouth, sweet and warm like honey with a touch of fire, like the life she would never live.

"I'm...more to you than this. Don't...don't let him win."

She took in a shallow, shuddering breath. He buried his face in her neck, desperate to breath in her scent while there was still some life left in it.

"I swear I won't, Jubilation." His vow was so quiet, only she could here it.

Logan held his breath, counting her heart beats. One. Tears fell from her blue eyes as their brilliance darkened. Two. Her shaking stilled. Three. Her breath left her body and she was unable to draw more in. Logan pressed his hand to her chest, feeling one last small, incomplete flutter.

And she died.

Logan exhaled with a broken sob. He gripped the katana in his bloodied hand, pulling it out of Jubilee and tossed the offensive murder weapon away from her. Freed from the floor, he lifted her small body into his arms, holding her tighter than he had ever dared to before. A dark desolation took root within him coupled with confusing realizations that would never leave this room.

Slowly, the circle of costumed heroes closed in on the tragic couple.

Finally, Danny dared where other's wouldn't.

"We won't let him, Logan. We won't let him win. Just like she said."

Wolverine stood, still cradling Jubilee to his chest.

"No, Danny, he _won't_ win. We will make him fucking pay, we will make him regret this like nothing before, we will _avenge_ her. But that's not what she meant."

Logan walked towards the broken doorway and the team parted to let him pass. Luke and Jessica watched him from behind the barrier of the bar, Danielle still crying, a small, insistent, vital life in their arms.

Logan pierced them with a predatory glare and they quailed, both consumed with guilt, both misinterpreting his dangerous expression.

"Get that baby somewhere _safe._ This is far from fucking over so get her out of here, get her protected, put an entire _fucking army_ between her and anything remotely dangerous. Do it _now."_

They quickly stepped out from behind the bar and made towards the door.

Luke stopped before the threshold, still holding onto Jess, unable to let her go. He turned back to face Wolverine.

"Logan...I am so sorry."

They left, disappearing into the darkness together.

****

Logan watched the sunrise that day.

The bright gold-red orb slowly travelled skyward, staining the clouds around it, burning his retina's so that when he shut his eyes against it, the lights still appeared behind his closed lids before they healed. The apparitions in his self-induced blindness would take on different colors; red, green, blue. They looked like Jubilee's powers, her globules of energy.

He was still in his costume, still covered in her blood, still breathing in her scent, her death, her life.

"What did she mean?"

Parker had taken off his mask, his long affair with guilt showing in every frown line on his still young face.

"What the fuck do you want, Peter?"

"You said that we would avenge her, that the Gorgon wouldn't win. But that's not what she meant. What did she mean?"

Logan chewed at his lip, wishing he hadn't smoked his last cigar the other night. If he tried hard enough, he could remember the scent of bubblegum in the wind. With a touch of gunpowder. Two aspects to Jubilee's scent that she had outgrown one way or another. The base scent had still been there, more mature, more subtle, more lovely. Well, maybe not so subtle.

"He killed her because of me. To get to _me_. To get to all of us. That's what her death meant to him."

"And it could have been Danielle." It was the one thing Peter was holding onto the hardest this morning. "She died a hero."

"Yeah. She did. But that's not all I'll remember her for. Another in a long, terrible list of people who died because they knew me. My wife, lovers, friends, family. I can't help but think of it that way sometimes and Jubilee knew that. Knew that I would go on a path of revenge so ruthless I'd let it consume me. _Again._"

Peter listened with an empathic heart that beat away while others didn't.

"She was more to me in life than she'll ever be in death. That's what she meant. They all are, but sometimes it hurts too damn much to remember it that way. She wanted me to remember her for the good times, the good moments." His voice softened with that last statement, aware that he had promised to try and see her next week. To catch a movie, grab a bite to eat, a simple, typical evening out with one of his favorite girls, a date that was long passed due. Even as he'd made the promise, he knew he'd end up having to back out. So had she.

Now there were no more promises to brake.

"More to you in life than she'll ever be in death," Peter murmured. If he really, truly admitted certain things to himself, one would have to be that as much as Peter might try to live by a similar creed, memories of dead loved ones are impossible to forget, and sometimes it was hard to not let the tragedy overwhelm everything else. Uncle Ben and Gwen dead, the constant fear that Aunt May, Harry, MJ would all join them and it would all be his fault. "Sometimes...sometimes it's easier said than done."

"That's for damn sure."

Silence fell and the two Avengers watched the sun climb further into the sky, watched the New York skyline light up before them.

"It's a brand new day," Peter whispered.

Eventually, Wolverine turned to go inside, muttering about phone calls he had to make.

"Hey, Logan? Out of curiosity...I mean, you're not usually this talkative..." Peter trailed off, not sure his question would be welcome. Normally, Peter would never have dared to disturb Wolverine when he was grieving and still covered in a girl's _blood_. But the responsibility he felt for Jubilee's death rendered him sleepless, haunted his every step since the night before so he'd gone to the roof seeking the answers to his questions, hoping to find some semblance of closure.

Logan stopped, his back still turned to him.

"It's because you asked about her. And if you had actually gotten to know her...the two of you would have gotten along great. She would have really liked you, Pete. So..._don't_ make a habit of it."

Wolverine left.

"Great. Now I'm getting my friends killed before I even get a chance to be friends with them," Peter said to no one.


	5. Chapter 5

****One Year Later****

Jai watched the sun rise that morning, which was a curious thing.

Usually, it would never occur to her to halt after a kill for something so simple as watching the day break, but then different things, small, interesting and strange things had been popping into her head lately and giving her ideas. This was one of them. Maybe it was the fiery blood-red gold color of the sun that captured her attention this morning. It matched the dark color staining her hands; a bloody sun rising up after a bloody night.

She found it appropriate. And she wasn't supposed to find anything appropriate or inappropriate or ironic or poetic. In fact, she wasn't suppose to have a single independent thought in her head.

It was happening more and more.

So she sat down on the edge of the roof, dangled her small, black-clad feet over the hundreds and hundreds of feet of open space between her and the ground, removed her black as pitch ninja mask from her face, and watched the sun rise to shine over the Tokyo skyline. As she sat, she reflected. Blood on her hands, blood in the sky, an imperfect mission due to tardiness, an imperfect man due to weakness.

Something about the imperfections struck a chord deep within Jai and she found herself...enjoying how these small unexpected moments forced her to improvise her otherwise flawless plans and techniques and made her days and nights more exciting. She narrowed her brown, almond shaped eyes at this thought and removed her black, liquid-soaked gloves. It was drying against her skin. She idly swung her feet back and forth to a random rhythm and picked at the blood under her fingernails.

She shouldn't linger, she was too visible. She found that she didn't care.

His name had been Hikaru Takahashi and he was an accountant for one of the many lucrative businesses tied to the Hand's illegal activities. He was very typical, very middle of the road, very married-for-twelve-years-with-two-kids average. Good with numbers but not particularly smart. He wasn't even a _bad_ man just...weak.

It had been this weakness of character, this lack of courage that had made him vulnerable to the Hand in the first place. Hikaru simply didn't have the resolve to say no to the meager monetary offerings they gave out for his second-rate money laundering. And he was too stupid to realize that he was a decoy, an example, someone for the cops to easily discover, someone to kill for getting caught and show what could happen to the other smarter, more talented money-handlers of the Hand.

Which was where Jai came in.

_They're wasting my talents on small, unimportant people, easy kills, _she thought. it was with mild surprise that Jai realized she was offended. She was better than this and she knew it. Her masters knew it too, so why had this been her ninety-eighth assassination and she still found it too menial, found herself unchallenged and wanting more? She understood the concept of earning her masters respect, proving that she could hold true in the many faces of murder, but she felt she had reached that point a while ago.

Jai sucked in her bottom lip, tasting tangy, coppery salt and realized there had been blood on her face. With this realization, came another. Hikaru Takahashi had been her first target who was a father. He had begged for his life for the sake of his children in the end, and his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. This was likely the reason Jai had been ordered to reveal herself to her target before she killed him. Another test. She put her bloody gloves back onto her bloody hands, wrapped her face back up against the dawn light.

Time to check in and report back.

****

Daisy Johnson narrowed her blue eyes as she glared at the screen and ran her delicate hand through her short, jet-black hair.

"_Who _is she?" Daisy prayed that this wasn't in one of the many reports she was suppose to finish reading last night when she had fallen asleep at her desk. Being a spy wasn't conducive to getting plenty of sleep, being Nick Fury's right hand girl even less so.

"She is currently unidentified," The Colonel replied. "All I know for sure right now is that she's a talented up and coming assassin for the Hand. Really top-notch."

"Because_ those_ are in short supply," Daisy's sarcasm was rampant and in direct correlation to the amount of sleep she _didn't_ get the night before. "So what makes her so special?"

"I'm getting to that," said Nick. He zoomed in as the ninja sat down on the edge of the roof, removing her face cover.

Daisy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "She's just a girl."

"_You're _one to talk, Johnson."

She watched the girl childishly pump her dangling feet back and forth. "She doesn't seem very professional."

"Says the _girl_ who woke up with classified material plastered to her face this morning," commented Nick. Having her boss find her passed out at her desk had not been her brightest moment.

"Yeah, yeah. So why is she important?"

"Because Elektra thinks she's important." Nick's voice was hard and edged.

"And we're listening to Elektra why?" Daisy suppressed a shudder. She knew that the deadly Greek woman was on their side these days--technically. But the woman had her own code, her own agenda, and wasn't beyond taking an entire helicarrier out of the sky to maintain her cover and get what she wants. And there was just something creepy about a ninja who could _make_ herself forget mass murder.

"Because it might prove useful to us," Nick said. "So when _Elektra_ asks you for a favor that might be useful to you _and_ give her something to owe you for, you do the fucking favor."

"What is she doing?" Daisy asked, turning her attention back to the screen.

"Looks like she's watching the sunrise."

"That doesn't seem like typical assassin behavior to me."

"It's not. Especially where the Hand is involved."

"And Elektra likes her for being atypical?"

"Elektra likes her for behavioral signs," Nick explained.

"Right. Behavioral signs. Like watching the sunrise," she said skeptically.

"Like showing that her brainwashing is faltering. Like showing that aspects of her old personality are coming back."

"Old personality?"

"Who knows who she was before the Hand got ahold of her? What's important is that she seems to be someone who was taken against her will and _not_ someone who went out of her way to join their criminal organization." The room was dark except for the light emanating off the computer, casting a blue black light on Nick's face, leaving his one good eye in shadows so she couldn't quite make out his expression.

"I didn't know the hand was taking people and brainwashing them these days."

"It's a new occurrence. One that I suspect has to do with leadership."

"So..."

"So we extract her. Remove her brainwashing. See what she has to tell us about the Hand's current leadership and agenda and make working for us after being abused by them look _real_ good."

"Anyone ever tell you you have a way with manipulating people?"

Daisy really, truly loved her job and liked her boss, but she never quite forgot that all other options had been taken away from her so that she'd take this particular job in the first place. Daisy looked at Nick who was deigning to not comment and took that as a sign of guilt on his part. He knew that if they handed out such awards, he would be the likely person for single most manipulative spy mind in the world. They both knew it.

"I want you to go to Tokyo by yourself."

This stopped Daisy up short. With SHIELD reclaimed from the Osborn fiasco and rightfully renamed SHIELD again, Nick had chosen to keep his Secret Warriors intact for missions and keep her on as field leader. To be sent on a solo mission was a surprise and an area where she didn't feel fully qualified. She didn't think a few Rosetta stone sessions with Japanese would make her feel any better either.

"By myself? To do what exactly? Be a brainless American tourist who knows nothing about the culture, doesn't speak the language, and will most likely get herself killed when she starts asking the wrong questions?"

Nick just looked at her.

"You goddamn son of a _bitch._ You are _such _a prick sometimes."

Nick narrowed his eye.

_"--Sir."_ She tacked the last part on with emphasis.

He cracked a rare grin. "Believe it or not, you're perfect for the job."

"You're just the best boss ever." She wasn't grinning.

"It's simple recon, the second things get more serious, I'm going to send the Warriors in to help with the extraction. You'll be fine. Go see Dugan for briefing on your alias."

"Yes, sir." Daisy turned and headed for the door, wondering if this was punishment for literally falling asleep on the job, or having her life be too easy in recent days. It had been well over a _week_ since anyone had even shot at her.

"Agent Johnson?" Command was in his voice this time.

Daisy stopped, turned.

"Do well out there." She couldn't help it, her whole body responded to his order, his tone. She straightened, felt the professional soldier take up residence in her body again. Nick was aware of her age, tolerant of her moods and sarcasm. But he also knew what she was capable of.

"Yes, sir." This time she meant it.

****

"You're late."

His voice was coldly observant. The small part inside her brain that urged her to sit on the dangerous edge of a sky scraper and watch the day break realized she preferred his face covered in darkness.

"My apologies, master, but Takahashi was a perpetually tardy man and was late to his meeting."

"Quite the thing to be late to his own death."

"Yes, master."

"Other than his typical shortcomings, everything went according to plan?"

"Yes, master."

"Yes, Jai, you've done very, _very_ well. I'm...deeply pleased with the results. You have certainly blossomed into your potential. Do you realize that?" He watched her very closely, watched her face, her body, her brown eyes. Watched for signs of revelation.

"It was an easy hit, master. My capabilities are well beyond it."

He smiled. Was there just the slightest hint of contempt in her voice?

"Well, we'll...keep that in mind for next time."

"I hope so."

His bright eyes flashed in the dark. "You hope so..."

"Master, I hope so, master." She covered well; there was no hint of emotion creeping into her voice over her mishap.

"I am very proud of you, Jai." His lips curled into a cold, cruel facade of a smile. "_Welcome home."_

Her expression turned dreamy, euphoric, her eyes gleamed. "_Thank you_, master."

Clearly, the trigger still had the same desired affect.

Recognizing her dismissal, she turned and left.

The Gorgon watched her retreating figure with a keen sense of satisfaction.


	6. Chapter 6

**And the adventure continues! Thanks for all the support so far guys--and I really appreciate you sticking with me, Tokyo Fox, since you don't like the pairing--or character death--but still appreciate the plot. I have lots of twists and turns ahead! Wolverette, Nileena, Yulian, Xeelia, Sarita Kate, Loatroll--thanks for repetitive reviews, the more detailed the better:)**

*******

"So how's it going?"

"This new tech freaks me out. I don't like hearing you in my head."

"That could be a sign to a deeper, psychological issue." Daisy wrinkled her nose, detecting the slightest tone of humor in Nick's voice.

"Implying that I'm getting up to something that I don't want my boss to know about and I'm immediately making mental connections to telepathy?"

"It's just a theory."

Daisy rubbed along her jaw line, still unable to feel the microscopic transmitter that was so state-of-the-art it was entirely undetectable and so top secret they weren't willing to tell her exactly how it worked implanted into her body. She could communicate in the barest of whispers and Nick's voice was practically reverberating through her skull. She just _knew_ she was going to end up with cancer.

"So you made contact?"

"Yeah. At a very disreputable night club. I'm now less innocent than I was before."

He chuckled over the transmitter in a way that made her brain itch.

Daisy reached for her strawberry daiquiri, complete with hot pink umbrella, and adjusted her sunglasses. She felt no qualms whatsoever--not even the barest hint--about spending a little extra SHIELD money while on assignment. Besides, it fit in with her alias perfectly. No hottie in her right mind would sit by the pool without alcoholic beverages in at least one hand. Maybe two.

"And what did you think?" he asked.

"Honestly? She creeped me out. She was perfect. Acted just how she should right down to the fake pink hair dye. Total sexed-up ditz, got in with the crime boss right away. Didn't even look at me twice."

"I didn't know pink-haired ditzes creeped you out."

Daisy rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't that, Nick. It was...a look on her face."

"Because that isn't at all vague."

Daisy chewed on her straw in thought.

"I think Elektra was right about the brainwashing. I think...she's waking up inside her own head."

"Why?" Fury's voice raised slightly in pitch, showing interest. "What was the look, Daisy?"

"It was...sad. And then...it changed. Into something dangerous," she whispered.

"Dangerous? What does dangerous look like with pink hair?"

"I'm not joking, Colonel. Because of you, I'm a world class spy and I come into contact with the most dangerous people on the planet. You recognize the look when you see it."

"Yeah. I know. Do you know where she'll be tonight?"

"Well. I'm pretty sure the Hand are picking off the top assholes of the Green Dragon gang and I know where _those_ losers will be tonight. So, yes."

"Good work. The team will get in this afternoon. What's you contingency plan if this goes south?"

"Y'know Tokyo. Ring of fire. Earthquakes happen _all_ the damn time." Daisy couldn't help but smirk.

"Just beware of civilians. And put some more sunscreen on. You're starting to burn."

Daisy heard the little _click_ in her head that signified the connection terminating.

"You smug asshole." She reached for the SPF. "You smug asshole with your stupid creepy satellites." She squirted a generous amount into her hand and rubbed it into her back with some difficulty, then rolled onto her belly while undoing her bathing suit to prevent tan lines.

"Hope you guys enjoy the show."

A few moments later, a voice _clicked_ into her head.

"We do."

****

"You are _such_ a perv, J.T." Daisy glared at fellow teammate Hellfire who was apparently moonlighting as a voyeur.

"Aw, c'mon Johnson, it was a _joke_. You left me with the perfect opener."

"You're still a perv."

"And you still have a job to do." This time Fury's voice was at a comfortable distance and coming from the speaker system in the helicopter that was carrying them in for the drop.

"Aw, c'mon, Colonel, when have we let you down?" Hellfire asked in an arrogant voice.

"Do you want that by timeline or casualty lists?"

"Okay. When have we let you down _recently?_"

Daisy kicked him.

"What's the new info, Fury?"

The team refocused on the speaker, like a strange spoof of Charlie's Angel's.

"Her name is Jai. Or at least that's what the Hand is calling her. And Elektra thinks the key to her brainwashing is associated with fear."

"Fear?" This, of course, was from Ares' son himself, Phobos the literal God of Fear. They usually just called him Alex.

"Do we really want to use that against her if we're trying to get her to work for us?" Daisy couldn't help but feel some sympathy towards the girl.

"At least figure out what that fear is and then decide, Johnson. That's the _good_ news, Warriors."

"What's the bad?" asked Yo Yo Rodriguez, aka Slingshot, girl of super speed, bouncing back to her point of origin (which was weird, but strangely useful) and prosthetic arms.

"We have reason to believe Wolverine is in the area."

"What the hell is he doing here?!" asked Slingshot.

"Oh, man," moaned Hellfire.

"Cool!" piped up Alex.

Daisy just put her head in her hands and groaned. "Define 'in the area,' Nick."

"Most likely at the same bar as the Green Dragon gang, so right where we don't want him to be."

"Couldn't he...help us out? I mean he's one of us," said Alex. "Sort of."

"And when the inevitable fight ensues, he'll throw himself right into the freaking middle." Daisy observed.

"Just make sure he doesn't get in the way of our primary goal. He can kill as many useless Dragon assholes as he wants, but don't let him get too hands on with the girl. I want her _alive_." said Nick.

"Yeah, sure. That won't be a problem_ at all_, Nick, I can guarantee _that_ right now." Daisy couldn't have packed more sarcasm into her voice if she'd been a year's worth of leave to do so.

"We'll be there in two." said the nondescript SHEILD pilot from the cockpit.

"Game faces, people," said Nick's bodiless voice.

"Anyone else have a bad feeling about this?" asked Hellfire.

****

Jai observed her appearance in the dirty bathroom mirror of the seedy bar in the absolute worst part of town. It was almost as bad as...She frowned. The thought flitted away, just out of reach. She couldn't remember. And she shouldn't realize there were places that she couldn't remember.

Jai reached into the stolen purse she had pocketed earlier in the night, finding what she desired. Another idea that had popped into her head when it shouldn't. But after seeing the disguise her handlers had created for her, she couldn't get the notion of _eyeliner_ out of her head. An odd, small thing, but it would complete the dramatic affect. Without the eyeliner, her pink hair overwhelmed the ensemble. It was lacking balance. She took out the little pencil, popped the lid off, and began to expertly apply it in a way she judged appropriate.

She liked her pink hair. Something about it's loud, obnoxious absurdity appealed to her. It was a pity it was just a wig. It was also a pity her katana didn't go with her outfit--or rather her alias. She preferred to have her own, but it would be an easy matter to retrieve one from the various Green Dragon henchmen to complete the job.

Jai abandoned the stolen purse in the sink and headed for the door just in time for a tall girl with short dark hair and blue eyes to walk in.

Jai watched her pass with mild interest.

"You forgot your purse," the girl called out.

"It's not mine," she replied without looking back.

The loud music and vibrant, flashy lighting assaulted her senses as she left the bathroom and Jai paused just outside the door, adjusting to the change in environment. She scanned the room, noted the locations of all the Green Dragons dispersed through out the bar, noted the door in the back where the VIP's were allowed privacy from the otherwise raucous atmosphere, and headed towards the bar in a weaving, stumbling fashion. Drunk girls with loose morals _always_ got through the back door in a joint like this.

Vaguely, Jai wondered what it would feel like to actually be drunk.

As she staggered towards the bar--and got closer to the sealed VIP door--it was easy to let the push and flow of the crowd knock her back and forth as the conglomeration of drunken youth danced and gyrated to the overpowering music. Jai let herself get overbalanced with a throaty giggle and careened into the shorter, muscular man standing right next to the Green Dragon bodyguard. Her giggle turned into a cry of surprise; he was harder and far more powerfully built than she had first guessed.

"Watch where you're going you little idiot!"

Apparently, he had a girlfriend. The taller, short-haired Japanese woman dressed in all black leather glared down at Jai just like she was the silly drunk she was pretending to be. This didn't really seem like the kind of establishment she or her short American man would frequent.

"No harm done, Yukio." The man's deep, gruff voice jolted through Jai's system, making her stomach clench and drop and contract into an unrecognizable ball. She gripped his wide forearm for support and stared into his face with surprise, brown eyes meeting stormy, predatory blue. She gasped, staring into his face, roughly handsome features outlined by thick sideburns, and felt the whole world spin away, losing all sense of self, and all sense of what she was doing there. The room started to tilt and it was impossible for Jai to notice that her target was walking away and heading for the back room without her.

"You okay, kid?"

Jai couldn't take her eyes off him; he was the only stable point in her now unhinged world.

"Ugh. She's just drunk, Logan, c'mon. Are we going to do this or not?" Yukio _had_ noticed the Dragon member heading for the back.

"What's your name, darlin?" Wolverine reached out and took hold of her, not sure if she was able to stay on her feet or not.

She felt her face flush hot, her voice stick in her throat.

Logan frowned in concern, he couldn't smell any alcohol coming off the girl, but she could be drugged.

"_Logan--"_

"Maybe _we_ can take her outside for some air," said a new voice, coming up on Logan's other side.

Logan's nostrils flared, but he didn't take his eyes or his hands off the girl.

"And why would you want to take _her_ outside instead of finding a way to get into the back room, Agent Johnson?" Wolverine growled out.

_Oh shit,_ thought Daisy. _Why did she have to knock into Wolverine of all people? Now he's interested._

The word _Agent_ jolted through Jai much like a trigger phrase or the man's voice. Her eyes refocused on the situation as she came back to herself. The woman Yukio was glaring between Agent Johnson, the short man, and the backdoor where she'd clearly rather be. The man tightened his grip on her, but turned to look up at the young Agent next to him who was doing her best to face the man down, using her height to her advantage. No one was paying attention to _Jai._

Jai twisted out of the man's grip like a cat and brought the full force of her leg upward. The affect he had on her was disturbing, traumatic, made her vulnerable, and the situation had to be rectified. Kicks to the groin were _wonderful_ rectifiers. His eyes bulged and he let out a growl of intense pain at the same time Jai twisted again, her foot meeting Yukio's face and her fist meeting Johnson's throat. Both women stumbled back, shocked by the blows.

Jai turned and ducked into the crowd while pulling the hot pink wig off her head, allowing her long black locks to fall loose, an immediately useful change to her appearance. She didn't know how, but she had been made; there were better times and better places to take care of the Hands interests with the Green Dragon. Right now, she needed to abort and disappear.

"Screw the Dragons, I'm going to break that bitch's feet!" Yukio shouted, angrily wiping blood away from her nose.

Daisy gasped in a breath, clawing at her throat, and fervently agreed with Yukio despite orders of bringing her in unharmed.

"Warriors. She's making a break for it." Daisy's voice was strangled and barely audible--she had no idea if they could even read her over the radio.

Wolverine had, of course, recovered more quickly despite receiving the worst blow. He had her scent; there was no getting away from him at this point. He barreled into the crowd knocking kids left and right with his powerful shoulders. He sniffed and stopped for a second, finding the wig on the floor, being trampled by dancing feet.

"Hair's a fake!" he shouted back at the women and then all three pushed their way through the crowd and for the door.

"She's making _what?_' asked Phobos, who at almost twelve, was far too young to be in the nightclub and look like he belonged, so was ordered to cover the outside with J.T. who had bitched incessantly about being left outside to babysit.

"I don't know, the connection is bad," said Hellfire. "Come again, Quake?"

As if in response, the ground began to buck and weave, the building beneath their feet shaking in a foreboding way. Phobos and Hellfire held on tight, trusting that Daisy wouldn't bring the floor down under them, and watched as a lone, small figure rushed out of the club and tried to run across the unsteady blacktop.

Hellfire grabbed up his favorite chain, charging it full of energy.

"Overkill, dude!" cried Alex.

"I'm not gonna use it on _her_." Hellfire expertly propelled the dangerous chain outward so that it collided with the pavement in a spectacular, explosive shock wave that tossed Jai backwards onto the ground, knocking the breath completely out of her.

"So that's the proportional response?" Alex asked in a dry voice, watching the girl get casually tossed around by quaking and exploding elements.

"Don't use language you're too young for, little man," said J.T.

They both scaled down the building quickly and made their way toward the cornered ninja as three others shot out of the bar, Wolverine in the lead, his hand holding something pink.

"Back down, Hellfire!" Daisy shouted, anger making up for what she lacked in volume. The ground rumbled again.

Shaken, but determined, Jai rolled to her feet. She knew she was in trouble. Ninja prowess was no match for superpowers and she was surrounded.

"I'll die before I let you take me."

"That's not part of the plan, Jai," Daisy said.

"What _is the _plan?" Wolverine muttered darkly.

Daisy looked to the youngest. "Phobos? You're up."

Before the boy's eyes could light up with godly power, the crowd from the bar began filing out into the street with a frenzied, screaming rush. Daisy's ability had played on their fear in an entirely different and more practical way. Shaking ground meant earthquake, meant building falling in on top of people--and most of the crowd recognized the danger as the club was a very old, poorly maintained building and would much rather take their chances on the street. Jai disappeared with the crowd.

"Goddamnit!" Daisy shouted.

"Good job, girlie," Yukio taunted.

"Slingshot! Stonewall! Crowd control! Wolverine?! We can't lose her in the throng!"

_If he's here, I might as well use him, _Daisy thought.

"You fuck up your mission and expect me to pick up the pieces, kid?" Wolverine's voice was incredulous.

"You were leading the chase for her two seconds ago!" Daisy argued. "And I thought they'd all head for a doorway like normal people." She said to herself.

Wolverine tossed the pink wig at Daisy. "Fix your own damn mess; I'm out."

"She's brainwashed and working for the Hand against her will. Sound familiar? We're here to _help _her!"

"That's a low fucking blow, Johnson."

"_Fine_. Don't bother helping. Phobos, Hellfire, let's go!"

Wolverine watched them race after the girl, telling himself he didn't care. He turned to Yukio who was giving him a hard, assessing look.

"What? You wanna get her back for the kick to the face?"

Yukio rolled her eyes skyward. "Well, we can hardly go after the Green Dragon _now_."

She continued to stare accusingly at her close friend and sometime lover.

"Yukio--"

"What if it was me? Or Amiko? Or Kitty? Didn't something similar happen to Betsy?"

"Aw, Christ." Wolverine glared in extreme annoyance. His patience had evaporated with the blow to his balls. "Let's go." Wolverine growled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, go check out January solicitations for Marvel if you haven't already!! Guess who's making a come back!:-)**

**And now, the chase for Jai continues...**

Jai ducked down as she pushed through the crowd, using her small stature and sharp elbows ruthlessly to her advantage. She had only seconds, minutes at the most to to put as much distance as possible between her and the Agents following her. Usually, she'd scale the nearest building and make her escape on the rooftops, but that seemed like a poor decision since someone chasing her had seismic powers--most likely Agent Johnson from the bathroom. Her next best hope was a vehicle of some sort.

And there was a small black sports car up ahead with her name on it.

Jai reached up under her dress, relieving her sai from their protective straps tied to her thighs. Tempered Japanese steel wasn't traditionally used to smash through car windows, but they worked in a pinch.

The alarm blared down the dark street and Jai pursed her lips in irritation; it would be of the utmost stupidity to leave a car this luxurious unprotected in this seedy part of town. However, it didn't make her escape any easier. In two breaths, Jai had the alarm hot-wired off and the engine hot-wired into a wonderfully purring thrum and the seat pulled up far enough so that her feet could actually reach the pedals.

Clutch pushed in, stick shifted into gear, and she was off with a burst of horse-powered speed--for a grand total of two hundred feet.

Something large, heavy, and wearing a black and yellow leather jacket smashed through her windshield with a startling shudder, sending glass all over her.

"Shit!" Another thought that popped into her head and came out her mouth.

She slammed on the brakes, bracing herself against the steering wheel as the car screeched to a halt, propelling the windshield-crasher down the street.

Jai stared at him for a full three seconds before choosing her strategy.

The fact that the man--the short, hairy, gut-wrenching one from the bar--picked himself up and produced dangerously lethal claws from his hands in those three seconds helped the strategical process.

Jai slammed her small, high-heeled foot onto the gas pedal, managing to shift all the way into third gear before careening into him at the fasted possible speed. He rolled up and over the car and Jai raced away, leaving him to skid down the street to a painful, bloody halt.

It took Wolverine longer to get up that time.

"Wow. Man, are you okay?" Alex gave the feral mutant a nervous look.

"You fucking suck at the fastball special, Stonewall," Wolverine growled.

"What? You wanted to get to the car, I got you to the car. It's not my fault you got run over."

"Slingshot--get Wolverine too her!" Daisy shouted.

"Why is it always 'get Wolverine to her'? He doesn't seem to be getting anywhere!" Stonewall protested.

Slingshot, however, was too busy listening to her field leader rather than Stonewall's protests.

Before Wolverine had a chance to fully heal, he found himself hefted up into powerful Colossus-like synthetic arms and carried along for a lightning fast jaunt. Yo Yo deposited him several yards down from the racing sports car and bounced back before he had time to blink.

"Yeah, don't hang around or anything," Wolverine growled.

Fortuitously, Slingshot moved too fast to be seen properly, so Wolverine had a chance to position himself accordingly as the escaping ninja zeroed in on his spot.

Which was right in front of her oncoming car. Again.

This time, he jumped at just the right second, and the speed of the vehicle effectively scooped him up through the impacted windshield and right into the front of the car. He shot his claws out into the passenger seat for stabilization and had his large hand wrapped around the girl's throat, her eyes bulging in shock at this unexpected attack.

_"Pull over!"_ Wolverine growled at her, tightening his grip.

She impaled him with her sai, glaring fire and hate at him.

Logan groaned in agony and _squeezed_ his throat clenching hand until her eyes rolled back into her head.

Her foot had let up on the gas and the car stalled out, losing speed, until it veered of course, rolled up onto the sidewalk, and crashed into a side wall of local grocery.

****

"I can't fucking believe you Wolverine!" Daisy screamed.

"Then don't ask for my help next time!"

"She wasn't suppose to be harmed!"

"It's a bruised neck, it'll heal."

"You could have killed her!" Daisy clenched her fists, feeling the ground starting to rumble in an uncontrolled burst of power.

"She wasn't in any danger and the quickest way to end it was by knockin' her out!"

"Yeah, but while she was _driving_ the car?!" Daisy swore to herself she'd never tolerate Wolverine in one of her missions for the rest of her career.

"Look, girlie, I just got my 'nads kneed up into my brains, thrown into a car, run over by the same car, and stabbed through the gut till my _spine_ got scraped. I had to pick my intestines up off the leather interior and put them back in my abdomen so I could start to heal properly all because you asked for my fucking _help_. I think the words you're looking for are _thank_ _you_, Wolverine, we couldn't have fixed this fuck up _without_ you, Wolverine!"

Daisy stopped short, staring at the bloodied and enraged mutant before her, finally at a loss of words.

"_I_ thought we could have done it without you, Wolverine." J.T. said.

Wolverine turned his back on the Warriors and the unconscious ninja girl laying in the street with his hand imprinted into her neck and stalked towards Yukio who was standing nonchalantly apart from the group, leaning up against a parked car.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," he growled out.

"Whatever," she said in a flat voice.

"What's _your_ problem?" He looked up at her.

"Car chases are more fun when _both_ parties have cars."

"Didn't get your action fix for the night, darlin'?"

"I know a way you could remedy that." Her voice turned suggestive.

Wolverine couldn't help but smirk. Which quickly twisted into a snarl.

_"Shit."_

"What is it?"

"They're here. They're coming for her."

Yukio couldn't help it. Her eyes lit up with the prospect of action, watching Wolverine tilt his head up, scenting the wind.

"The Hand?"

"It ain't the fire brigade."

Without a word, they both turned and stalked back over to the team of young SHIELD Agents.

"I thought you were outta--"

"Shut the fuck up--we got company," Wolverine whispered darkly.

Daisy's eyes widened in surprise, but, to her credit, she rallied her team immediately.

As the heavy hitters spread out to provide a perimeter--along with action-seeking Yukio--Daisy yanked Phobos to her with a decisive pull and approached Wolverine with a very sour, put upon expression.

"God of Fear, Wolverine, Wolverine, God of Fear," she said tersely.

"We've met," Logan said.

"Yeah, but you never talked to me before," Alex pointed out.

"He's eleven years old," Daisy said, then pointed to the girl. "She's our priority. This is your area, your enemy. I can provide one hell of a distraction with my team, but no one here knows these streets better than you do--I want you go get her away before--"

Too late, the Hand descended upon them, dark figures of walking death coming out of dark alleys, flying off of tall rooftops, silver stars soaring through the air before them.

Wolverine ran for Jai, Alex right behind him. He lifted her up into his arms effortlessly as Quake went to work again and Hellfire lit up his chain of fire. Logan and the boy sprinted for the nearest side street.

"Hey kid! Make following us seem like a terrifying idea!"

"Huh? Oh, right!" Alex's eyes glowed to life.

Wolverine was forced to slow his pace so the boy could keep up, but refused to stop, still hearing reverberating thuds and crashes continuing behind him as the Warriors and Yukio fought of the ninjas. As much as he loathed running away from the action, Wolverine admitted that Daisy was right in that he was the best choice for getting the girl out of there. He weaved and twisted down side streets, letting his senses alert him to Hand minions who had gotten passed the little God's powers.

"Dude--Wolverine! I gotta--I gotta--I think I'm going to puke if we keep running!"

Wolverine turned to see Alex doubled over and clutching his sides, heaving in deep, gasping breaths. God he may be, but he was still just a boy, and Wolverine realized he'd been running passed the endurance of some grown men. He looked down to the girl in his arms who's breathing was ragged through her assaulted throat and was starting to become irregular. After a moments of monitoring her pulse, he determined it was _not_ from the injuries he inflicted, but because she was waking up.

"_Great."_

_"_What? Were we--" _Gasp!_ "Were we followed?"

"Nah, she's just coming too."

Jai's brown eyes snapped open at the same time Wolverine unleashed his claws holding them to her pretty face like a dire promise.

"One wrong move and you'll regret it." He clenched his teeth, remembering his aching balls, his eviscerated innards.

She stared at him coolly and calmly making no move to retrieve her weapons or move against him.

"Good girl." He said and her eyes flashed dangerously.

She rolled away from him so fast, his claws sliced into her passing shoulder, and her foot was flying at his face a second later.

_Girl has a serious thing about kicking, _Wolverine thought, irritated.

He shot his arm up to block, but the blow landed half-heartedly and a second later she was on the ground, curled into herself and whimpering piteously.

"The _hell?!_"

"Fury said her brainwashing might be tied to her fears." Logan turned down to look into Alex's glowing eyes, an unbidden icy shiver racing down his adamantium spine. A vague sense of blood on his hands overcame him and flashes flitted through his brain. Fire-enhanced green eyes, tearful, bright blue, death and blood in the air.

"Watch where you aim it."

"Stop looking at me."

Wolverine focused on the girl, finding it easier to breathe.

"So what's she afraid of?"

Before Phobos could answer, Jai let out a cry, tears running down her agonized face. She looked up at him, as if for help, reached out to desperately grasp his hands; Logan had to retract before she cut herself.

"_Please! __**Please!**__ Please don't leave me!_ I don't want--I don't want to be _left behind_. I don't want to be alone--_I don't want to be alone!--_I don't--I can't--alone--_**No!**_" She continued to wail and moan and rock, letting out shuddering, wrenching sobs.

"Jesus Christ. What the hell, Alex?"

The boy looked down on her, eyes glowing, expression sad.

"Abandonment. She's...afraid to be alone. There are other fears. Deep-seated terrifying ones, but this...is what the brainwashing is tied to. I can feel it. Look, I'm gonna let go of her, so, um, can you try to be...comforting instead of threatening...?" Alex trailed off.

Logan scowled.

"Right. Well, here goes." The light died and Alex's eyes returned to normal.

They both watched Jai expectantly. She was still huddled in on herself like a small child, hands pulling at her hair, still rocking. Her whimpering quieted and finally she looked up at the two heroes blankly.

"Hey." Alex said nervously.

Logan continued to scowl.

"Wh-where am I?" She asked unsurely, blinking away her remaining tears.

"You're with--friends! I'm Alex. This is Wolverine. He's...he's not very nice, but he won't hurt you.

Logan rolled his eyes.

She looked at them blankly seemingly not recognizing them from the previous fight.

"Who--Do you know who I am?"

"Um..." At eleven, Alex was quickly running out of correct responses, not wanting to trigger the ninja within.

Wolverine let out an exasperated breath and knelt down so that he was at her level.

"You're--"

"Jai!" Alex interjected excitedly.

"Jai," Wolverine picked up. "And you're a young woman who was taken by some bad people. But, now we're here to help you get your life back."

She focused on his face, concentrating on his words. Finally, she frowned.

"Did you know that there are only two signs on your face when you're lying? You're actually very good at it. I don't remember how I know that, but I do, and you're lying," she accused. "Why are you lying to me?"

Wolverine stared at her in total shock. "I'm not--"

"You are."

"You were taken by the Hand--they're _bad_ people--"

"That's not the lie."

"We here to help--"

"But you don't _want_ to."

Wolverine gaped and Jai looked up at Alex.

"He's just a little boy, but he actually seems to want to help me."

Logan sighed. "I kinda got dragged into it last minute," he admitted. "The kid and his team are here to help you get out of here."

She seemed to accept this and unsteadily climbed to her feet.

"_Ah!"_ She grabbed at her shoulder, finding three slices in her flesh that stung like hellfire with blood welling.

"Sorry about that." Logan said with chagrin as he watched Jai go from feeling the blood on her arm to feeling the bruise on her neck. "Sorry again." This time he sounded down right embarrassed.

"Are you going to try to kill me in the near future?" Jai asked wryly.

Wolverine looked her dead on. "_No._"

"What was I doing that you had to do this to me?"

"Trying to..." Wolverine grimaced, knowing how it would sound. "You were trying to get away."

"Ah. So you were _chasing _me and--"

"Look, sweetheart, _we're_ the good guys, _you_ weren't in your right mind."

"You have a single twitch on your face when you say you're a good guy."

"Ah, for fuck _sake!_" Wolverine turned to Alex. "I can't talk to her--_you_ talk to her. She's your priority."

Alex took Wolverine's request to heart.

"So your name that we know you by is Jai and you were brainwashed by bad guys and I interfered with it which is why you don't remember anything. But it's not complete and you could turn all ninja bitch again at any moment so you should try to remain calm and wait for Daisy to come get us and take us home and then we can get you to a doctor."

Jai looked down at the boy then looked pointedly at Wolverine.

"See, _he_ doesn't lie."


	8. Chapter 8

"Well...glad we could give you ride stateside, Wolverine."

"You sound positively _ecstatic_ over it, Nick."

"Nothing personal. It's just..." he let out a gruff sigh, one that Wolverine could relate to far better than most. The sigh of old men carrying on their duties and responsibilities well passed their reasonable lifetimes. There were few who shouldered the pleasure. "It's just this _damn_ feeling. There's something dark and dangerous around the corner, Logan."

"Something dark and dangerous? You sound like a veritable expert."

"Fuck you. And thanks for lending a hand." Nick's irked tone didn't abate despite his verbal gratitude. "So how did you hear about the Green Dragon anyway?"

"They were dealing drugs in Yukio and Amiko's neighborhood. Yukio asked me to help clean house while I was in town. How did you find out about that girl?" Wolverine couldn't help but grimace. This particular trip to Tokyo had proven far more problematic than he was in the mood for--he hadn't gotten the pleasure of gutting a single drug dealing, emo-guised, loser shit head. All because of the assassin. Girl. Whatever.

"Elektra."

Wolverine's eyebrows shot up of their own accord. "_Elektra_? Son of a bitch."

"Yeah."

"What does Elektra want with her?"

"That's exactly what I'm hoping to find out when she makes contact."

"When's that suppose to happen?" Logan asked.

"Any damn second now." 

"Can't you contact _her_?"

"No." Nick said in a strangled voice. "She's gone off the grid. So she'll contact _me _when it suits _her."_

"Ah."

"Notice anything different while you were in Japan this time around?"

"Yeah. It's getting vicious. Yukio has only bad things to say about the Hand, the street gangs, the organized crime, the drugs, etc. She didn't exactly ask me to come out and help, cause that's not her style, but I could tell she needed it. I shoulda stayed until the Green Dragon was actually taken care of." Wolverine's voiced dropped to a shady tone.

"Considering what Jai was doing there, it sounds like the Hand'll take care of 'em for us. And that doesn't make me feel better in the _least,_" Nick commented.

"Shoulda stayed," Logan muttered again.

"I didn't leave a SHEILD cell behind to see the sights. They'll take out the Dragon and start following it up to the _real_ puppet master--"

"Which is going to be the Hand," Logan interjected.

"Now, if we only knew what the Hand _was_ currently. Osborn managed to destroy _all _his files on the present state of affairs of most criminal organizations. If he even kept proper files, seeing as he was dabbling his dick into most of them. We've gotten a handle on the Hydra situation, but things slipped through the cracks goddamnit and we're--"

"Vulnerable," Wolverine said succinctly.

"_Less protected_ than normal." Nick insisted.

An uncomfortably thick cloud of silence descended on the two men as both scowled. They scowled at the silence, at the other's presence, at the possibilities this strange, unknown brain-washed girl represented, at the spy-world's blind spots they couldn't yet discern. There was the distinctly foreboding sense that something dark and dangerous was, indeed, down the next shady, backwater alley.

Nick reached into his desk's bottom drawer, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Poured a generous measure into each glass, passed one to Wolverine, and knocked his back without bothering to wait for Wolverine to finish sniffing at his.

"Daisy's...colorful," Wolverine provided into the silence, feeling the pleasant burn travel all the way down.

"She's a mouthy little pain in the ass," Nick responded. Then he grinned heartily. "But she's damned excellent at her job. Getting better everyday. Y'know...y'know who she reminds me of?"

"Yeah, I know who she fucking reminds you of." Wolverine's growl was edged, silky, murderous.

Nick poured another drink, feeling a sharp need.

"Yeah. Sorry."

Logan bowed his head, somewhat surprised at his own response.

"_Christ_. It just fucking sends me into a fucking _rage." _He clenched his fists _willing_ his claws to stay retracted, concentrating hard on not seeing red.

Fury looked at him levelly, casually resting his hand next to the small, concealed button that would instantly trigger an energy shield to pop into existence between him and anyone on the other side of his desk. He was about to tread into uncharted territory, but he couldn't resist the urge to satisfy his curiosity as to what _exactly_ had happened to Logan roughly a year ago following the death of a certain young, mouthy pain in the ass.

"I gotta say...you accomplished what everyone thought was impossible. Half the world thought you had actually managed to _die_ when you went of the grid for a whole fucking month. Avengers couldn't find you. Neither could Frost, Xavier, or the creepy blond trio. We didn't have a snowball's chance in hell. What happened between you and the Gorgon anyway?"

Wolverine's stormy blue eyes turned deadly, black, wrathful.

"I did die, Fury," he said cryptically. "Manage to find the Gorgon yet or are you still sitting there with a dry thumb up your ass on that one?"

Nick sat in puzzled, irritated silence.

"Yeah. Fuck you." Logan set down his whiskey glass with a formidable _thunk_, scraped his chair noisily across the steel floor as he stood, and stalked out the door.

****

Jai decided that she hated the color white.

She took in a breath, relishing in the freedom her mind had in making that decision for itself.

The room she was sitting in was white from floor to walls to ceiling. Her clothes of plain cotton pants with plain cotton shirt were white. The table and chairs were stainless steal, gleaming silver in the white room in a way that painfully _emphasized_ the white. Doctor Lydia Blanche--no joke-- was wearing a white, smartly cut dress under a white lab coat, her delicately lined, handsome face crowned with silver-white hair. There was a disturbing lack of color that grated the nerves. Everything was white, _everything._

_Freaking white,_ Jai frowned. _The color of death_.

She ached for vibrancy.

"To the best of your knowledge," asked Doctor Blanche in lilting tones, "what is your name?"

"Jai. I have no memory of another."

"How old are you?"

Jai looked down at her hands, a healthy pinkish color. "I don't know."

"I'm going to say three unrelated words and ask you to remember them. Umbrella. Penguin. Coffee. Repeat them back?"

"Umbrella. Penguin. Coffee." Her hand brushed at her bruised neck.

"How long have you been under the Hand's influence?"

"I...don't know." She pictured different things in her foggy head, things that she could see clearly, colorfully. Alex's blond little head, his bright eyes. Daisy's sapphire blue eyes, her pink, quirky mouth. The tumult of the helicarriar in action, all greys and blacks and greens, weapons, uniforms, jets, helicopters, all with the backdrop of the luminescent blue sky.

"How many weapons are you trained in?"

"I'm proficient in twenty-one."

"How many fighting styles?"

"Sixteen."

"How many assassinations have you precipitated?"

"Ninety-eight."

"Now, I'm going to give you a lie. I'm a male, age sixteen. How many signs of lying are on my face?"

"Five."

"Well, that's a disappointment, but never you mind."

The doctor scratched down marks on her clipboard and Jai felt an uncustomary sullen expression overtake her features.

"What is your general emotional state at this time?"

_Annoyed. "_I'm fine. Generally."

"Would you describe your mental state as clear, foggy, or somewhere in between?"

_Annoyed, _she thought darkly. "Somewhere in between."

"Do you remember all of the people involved in your rescue?"

Jai nodded.

"Name them, please."

She closed her eyes, focusing on the colors. Took a breath and walked through the scene in her mind like she had been trained.

"Daisy, Yukio, Logan." She paused here, overtaken by stormy, predatory eyes, sharp male facial features. Her gut flipped; still he unhinged her. She took another breath, willing herself to focus, and scanned the room in her mind's eye, realizing positions in retrospect. "Slingshot, Stonewall." She pictured the shady, dingy buildings outside, a fiery chain of metal. "Hellfire and Phobos. There were others, but I never caught their names."

"What can you tell me about your...boss...what's the specific phrase you use?"

Jai sniffed with disdain. The Doctor was perfectly aware of the 'phrase she used'. She was simply testing her, and Jai was growing very, very tired of being tested.

"My master. My sensei. He was the leader, he trained me, gave me all my orders."

"Only _he_ trained you?"

"Yes."

"What else did he do with you?"

She frowned, irritated by the implications. "He just trained me. He was with me for my first five kills."

"And what did he look like, Jai?"

"He looked like my master."

"And what do you mean by that, Jai?" Her voice was infuriatingly calm. Jai would have liked it better if Dr. Blanche grew taciturn with her.

"I mean that...he looked like...my master," she finished lamely. She closed her eyes in irritation, crossed her arms in front of her chest. She realized she was failing at this question, but was unable to express her answer any better. She could see him in her head...but she couldn't grasp the necessary words to describe him. It was a mental block and she didn't have the ability to overcome it. Which meant more tests on her, more trials, more needles, and therapy, and questions, and more time suspended in a cybernetic sub-reality where she was forced to play out scenarios in an effort to peel back the layers of her brain.

"Try again, Jai. What did he look like?

She gritted her teeth. She knew exactly twenty-six ways to kill this woman without a weapon. Thirty-seven if she used either the chair or the table. She pictured each and every way in her brain.

"He looked like my master. I'm sorry, but I can't do any better than that."

"Do you remember the three items? If you could please--"

"_Umbrella. Penguin. Coffee._"

"Good girl." Jai's eyes flashed with a barely suppressed rage.

****

Much later-- after three straight hours of failing to get some much needed, recharging sleep--Logan stalked down the Helicarrier's hall, noting with minimal pleasure how the various SHIELD Agents, technical, and support staff scurried away in an effort to let him pass in peace. He reached into his jacket pocket, glad he wasn't in uniform, took out a cigar and his lighter and _glared_ down the young tech woman who looked like she was about to utter the amazingly stupid words of _There's no smoking in here._ Lighting up in the prohibited area made him feel just the _tiniest_ bit better.

He chewed on his cigar, willing his brain to suppress painful memories that incessantly haunted his every waking moment. In retrospect, being deprived of his memories was hardly the worst mental state in the world. In his multiple lifetimes, Wolverine guessed that he had experienced every possible mental state of being and wouldn't recommend ninety-three percent of them. Okay, maybe he'd cornered the market on horrendously painful mental conditions, after all, how many people were famous for going into something that could only be labeled as a _beserker rage_?

Logan puffed his cigar in misery.

The supreme shit part of it all, is that he knew as each day passed, he was failing her. _I'm more to you than this_. Turns out, she was right. Just not in the way that she had hoped. Her death had let him down a path of revenge that had rapidly unravelled his life so absolutely that he was still attempting to put it back together. And he could barely stand to think about her without seeing red. _I'm more to you than this_.

He needed some air. Desperately.

He wasn't the only one.

Logan opened the hatch to the outside; the night air swept in around him, a soft, delicate, feminine scent trailing in with it. She stood against the protective wall, with only a mere four feet of reinforced steel between her and a deathly free fall. Her long hair blew haphazardly around her, her plain white cotton clothes were too thin for the chilly night air and she was barefoot.

"Sorry," Logan grumbled. "Didn't know anyone else was out here." _Least of all you_, he thought.

"Wolverine." She sounded like she was trying something new, testing the sound of his name. "Logan."

Jai turned to face him, catching her breath as she did so.

"I can leave," he offered. He was hardly in the mood for company.

She turned back out to the starscape, her breathing leveling out if she wasn't looking at him.

"You don't have to. Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

Logan stepped up next to her with some trepidation and tapped his cigar ashes out over the nothingness. Took another puff, watched her soft profile out of the corner of his eye.

"Sure, darlin'. Go for it."

"Do you think you maybe...met me before? Before I was taken by the Hand?"

Wolverine frowned, confounded. This was the last question he was expecting.

"What do you know about me, Jai?" He watched her intently as she turned to face him again, her warm brown eyes widening at the dangerous expression on his face. Wolverine's nose flared as he scented the air. He wasn't imagining it. He made her nervous, threw her breathing off, made her heart rate shoot up, sent a shiver through her body.

She glanced away quickly, regaining her composure.

"Only what I've seen from earlier tonight. At the club. You have metal claws in your hands. You heal at an accelerated rate. You're incredibly fast and fight _extremely_ well. Are you a mutant?"

"One of the remaining few," Logan confirmed.

"You're called Logan. And Wolverine, which I assume is a code name. And I'm fairly certain I remember hearing _that _name uttered in the dark, secret corners of the Hand's many dojos like a ghost's. And that's all I know about you."

"That's hardly enough to make you catch your breath, darlin'." If someone were to ask him if he intentionally added a shade of seduction to his tone, Wolverine would deny it.

Jai looked at him in alarm, trying to see tell-tale signs on his face in the dark. Logan spied her bruises as she moved towards him, and added a layer of guilt to his moodiness.

"Excuse me?"

"I have heightened senses," he explained. "Sound, sight, smell. Every time you see me--"

"It's a shock. Like recognition. Or a ghost. Or...something," Jai pleaded, seeking an answer to her predicament.

"It's all in the scent. I always remember 'em. Kinda like my own type of photographic memory." He watched the disappointment rise up in her warm eyes like shadows. "I ain't never met you before tonight, Jai. Sorry."

She slumped against the helicarriar's edge, defeated.

"Maybe I remind you of someone?" He asked tentatively.

"Maybe," she said quietly.

Silence fell as the helicarriar glided through the sky, floating above the entire world, separated from everything beneath it. Jai rubbed her hands up and down her arms, seemingly noticing the cold for the first time. Wolverine finished his cigar, tossing it out into the darkness.

"So how'd the brainwash treatment go?" Logan asked, interested in what the liberated assassin had to say about the Hand.

She grimaced.

"Not at all well. I can't really tell them anything they want to hear because of the mind blocks. There's a severe lack of psychics in the world now, so it makes undoing the Hand's work that much more difficult--or so I overheard my doctor saying. I have amnesia and know absolutely nothing about myself except that I'm very, _very_ good at _killing_ people."

Logan tried to stifle a rising sympathy; his life would be far easier if he didn't get involved. What could he say anyway? _I actually know exactly how you feel, darlin'?_

"So you're havin' a bad night, then?" he asked lamely.

"Not really," Jai said blankly. "I'm fine. Generally. Umbrella. Penguin. Coffee."

Logan stared at the girl utterly perplexed, worried that undoing her brainwashing had crossed wires in her head.

"_Huh?"_

"Nothing. Never mind."

She turned to go inside.


	9. Chapter 9

After days of monitoring her condition, quizzing her memory, drilling her on details, testing her abilities, running her through scenarios, training sessions, and the psychological gamut in it's entirety, Nick Fury handed Jai over to Daisy in hopes that the taciturn, quiet, and sullen assassin would come out of her shell.

It was a hope that proved fruitless.

"Eventually, you're going to have to explain to her that this is a _job_ and she's going to have to accept one of these missions so that she can actually _work_," Nick was saying, irritated.

"Oh, sure," Daisy responded. "Let's push her even harder into doing something she doesn't want to do when she doesn't like us and doesn't trust us and could easily disappear into the world as a freelance assassin, taking her fucked up brain with all it's hidden information away with her."

"Way to be optimistic, Johnson."

"You're the single most pessimistic person I've ever met, Nick."

They were sitting in Nick's office, sharing his current bottle of whiskey, in complete denial of the fact that Daisy wasn't technically of age.

"Alright. I have something that might work." Nick said hesitantly.

Daisy perked up, aware that the Colonel _hated_ going with the unsure, unstable course of action. He scratched his eyepatch, a clear sign that he didn't like the direction he was about to take this conversation.

"It's not ideal. By a long shot."

He poured himself another drink, tipped it down his gullet.

"I'm _quivering_ with anticipation," Daisy pushed.

"We got a hit. From Viper of all people."

"_Please_ tell me that's a joke," Daisy said with dismay.

"I wish it were."

"Why would she even _contact_ us? She's on _our _most wanted list!"

"Technically, we have bigger fish to fry. And apparently, someone's encroaching on Madripoor. Someone worse than her. She gives us the necessary info--"

"To ensure that _she_ maintains her stranglehold over the area while _we_ take out the bigger bad?" Daisy ground her teeth, feeling like she was getting her nose rubbed directly into the less pleasant aspects of her work.

"To be fair, power shifts every other week between Viper and Tyger Tiger."

"Well, that's just ducky."

"Hey, kid. It's the devil you know."

"And who's the devil we don't know?" Daisy asked in a quiet voice, almost like this shadowy figure could overhear her.

"Pretty sure it's the same bastard behind the Hand."

Daisy leaned back in her chair with a huff, feeling the whiskey gently course through her system, wanting another glass, knowing Nick wouldn't let her.

"You _have_ to have _some_ idea of who this guy is, Nick. I mean...you _do_ don't you?" Daisy gave him a hopeful look, a look that said please-tell-me-you-know-how-to-kill-those-godawful-things-that-go-bump-in-the-night-and-make-the-world-a-safer-place-to-spy-in.

"I have a very, very short list. And every name on it is worse than the one before. I _need_ this Madripoor hit followed up on. We need to see what's going on out there."

"And you want to send Jai even though that could be the quickest way to hand her back to the enemy gift wrapped?" Daisy asked, doubtful.

"She might see something anyone else would miss. Besides _their_ the ones she wants to go after."

"How can you tell? She's barely said two word since she got here."

Fury opened a desk drawer, picked out a file and slid it across the desk towards Daisy.

"Her psyche profile."

"I'd wondered where you'd been hiding this," Daisy commented.

"I didn't want you influenced by it when you had to deal with her. Wanted your own opinion on the situation."

"Which is fuckall."

"Yeah, well," Nick said in a tired voice, "it was worth a shot."

"Her brainwashing isn't completely undone, Nick. You'd already told me that much." Daisy said, wondering when things had gotten so bad that she was the one to warn him.

"It's close enough."

"Says who?"

"Says me," Nick affirmed with finality.

"So, when should I tell the Warriors we're heading back to Asia?" Daisy thumbed through the file, slightly raising her delicate brows at a fact here and there.

"You're not going."

"_Oh._" Daisy turned all her focus to Nick.

"Nothin' personal, kid--"

"You saying it's nothing personal is emphasized so well by the '_kid' ._"

"I already have someone on the way."

"Just one person?" Daisy asked wryly, guessing where this was going. "Not ideal by a long shot _at all, _huh?"

"Nope."

"It's Wolverine, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"_Great."_

*****

Wolverine couldn't help it, he really couldn't. His lips twitched. The corners curled. His mouth lifted, pulled back and upwards over his sharp teeth in what can _only _be referred to as a shit-eating grin. He was back and it had been far too goddamned long. And _damn _if she didn't look wonderful. Bright, vibrant, hopping, _decent_ music playing, gorgeous ladies decked to their finest, top shelf liquor pouring to excess, the newly rebuilt _Princess Bar_ was in fine form.

And Logan appreciated the hell out of it.

He swaggered to the door, smiling at the ladies passing him--high-end hookers to be sure--and lit up a cigar as he went, breathing it all in.

The doorman nodded him in with little ado, just a simple, "She's upstairs, Mr. Logan."

"Thanks, bub,"

Speaking of looking _damn_ wonderful, Tyger Tiger was a sight to behold.

"Welcome back, Wolverine. You've been missed."

Jessan Hoan delicately set down her champaign glass, and gracefully stood from her sumptuous chair--flanked by bodyguards--emerald green dress shimmering with every movement. Her hair was pulled up, emphasizing her height, and her bright brown eyes held just a touch of shadows within, speaking of worries that didn't belong to such a beautiful night. As she approached, Logan noticed her scent was fresh and soft, lacking her usual perfume--a special touch just for him.

Logan took his cigar out of his mouth, holding the cherry away as she embraced him warmly.

"Well, hell, darlin'. You sure know how to make a guy feel good after being gone for a long time." Logan had to lift his chin to the side and over her soft shoulder in order to speak uninhibited, otherwise he found his face buried in her ample and lovely chest. Her laughter was full and throaty, recognizing his dilemma.

"If you stopped by more often, I'd still show my appreciation," she purred.

Logan took a step back and they both walked towards the balcony overlooking the main floor. Bar, dance floor, tables, booths, all beautifully decorated, Tyger sat above it all, surveying her territory like a predatory, cat-like queen in stilettos.

"Place looks good, Tyger." Logan said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"It feels right having it back the way it should be," she said, looking down at him rather than the bar.

"I'll say."

She offered him her hand. "Dance with me."

"Take your damn shoes off first."

She laughed, obliging him.

He led the ever-so-slightly-shorter Lady of Maripoor down the wooden staircase and onto the polished dance floor in her stockinged feet. She motioned to someone unseen and suddenly a sultry tango came to life over the system, and she proved that she was still just as flexible as ever as Logan dipped her back deeply, and then spun her onto the floor with a flourish that sent her dress whipping around her like a dream.

They danced.

Several songs later, they made for the bar and a brew, Logan pulling out a stool for her to sit in before planting his ass beside her.

"You know," she said after sipping her drink, "I think you're the first man to tango in jeans."

"You complainin'?"

"Hardly."

"If it makes you feel better, they're my _nice_ jeans."

"Ever a man of style," she joked.

Her smile faded after a moment, the shadows reclaiming her eyes.

"So what's _Viper_ have to say?" Logan spat out the green-haired woman's name like flat, warm beer.

Jessan finished off her cold one like a pro, slamming it down on the bar and then motioned for two shots.

She passed the one to Logan and held hers up in the classic toasting position.

"To the good old times, Logan."

"The good old times," Wolverine agreed before tossing it back.

"I don't know exactly what she has to say, but she'll be here tomorrow morning," Tyger said with distaste, answering his previous question.

"You're letting her inside the _Princess Bar_?" he asked in mild surprise.

"It's the only place I trust to not be bugged," she stated.

"It's worse than it looks, isn't it?" Wolverine asked darkly.

"Yes," she admitted. "But...that's for tomorrow. Tonight...

"Is for old times?" Logan suggested.

She smiled.

"Well, we already have your shoes off for starters," he observed.

Several hours later, Logan climbed out of Tyger Tiger's opulent and over-sized bed, leaving her sleeping and satiated. He padded over to his jeans, pulling out his lighter, and reached into the bedside drawer, finding Tyger's stash of Havana's. He walked out onto the balcony, looking over the brightly lit-up sky scrapers of High Town, a city that had a unique glitzy, gritty ritziness all it's own.

He could feel it in the air. In the seediest place on earth, an encroaching darkness was gathering. It was like a bad taste in the back of his throat, one that great booze, wonderful dancing, and the taste of Tyger Tiger couldn't dispel. It was bitter, rotten, stone-cold and awful. Wolverine snarled at the night, promising that something darker and far more dangerous had arrived in town. It wouldn't be the first time he cleaned house in Madripoor.

He palmed his cell, checking his messages.

Jai would arrive with the dawn.

**More to come soon!:) I'm also working on a little Holiday Special. Cause I'm sucker for Christmas. And the X-men. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the awesome support so far everyone!!**

Jai stepped off her private SHIELD sanctioned jet that had just landed in the High Town airport, feeling the enveloping humidity overwhelm her, instantly clinging to her skin, hair, and clothes and bathing her in a light sweat. She relished the feeling, trying to find a familiarity in the supposedly new sensation. After a few breaths she came to the tired conclusion that it would take far more than a change of environment to loosen her lost memory, but she just couldn't stop looking for opportunities.

And going on a mission with Wolverine should prove to be...what? _He doesn't know me. Doesn't recognize my scent, doesn't recognize me._

She frowned in irritation. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe, after working for the Hand for so long, some of the rumor and fear and fantasy surrounding the man known as Wolverine had instilled in her a strange gut reaction. This was a job, an assignment, a chance for her to reclaim a part of herself from the people that took her life away. She needed to concentrate on that.

At this thought, Jai had to catch her breath, an aching loneliness welling up within her. She couldn't help it. She _missed_ them--especially her master. She knew it was a programmed response, how she was made to react, but a part of her realized that the Hand and Japan and her Master still felt like _home_ and, thanks to her amnesia, were the only things in the world that felt familiar to her.

Except for Wolverine. Jai was determined to find out why. Was determined to fight back at the Hand in anyway possible, to distance herself from her dependency.

If it even _was_ the Hand that was infiltrating Madripoor.

If not, at least she'd get her hands on some action. And her hands were positively, _literally_ _**itching** _to wrap around her blades and slice through a slew of Hand ninjas for the sheer pleasure of it. Underworld baddies who toted illegal drugs and weapons would totally do too though.

Her car drove toward her on the tarmac, the driver stepping out with a nod and stowing her luggage in the trunk. It was odd to have such treatment. He opened her door for her and said, "It will be thirty minute drive to _Princess Bar_, Lady Jai," in clipped, accented tones that spoke of only a passing familiarity with English.

"Thank you," she said, getting into the back of the wonderfully air-conditioned, leathered haven and suppressed the urge to _giggle._

_ Lady Jai, _she thought in amusement. _This is going to take some getting used to._

As they hit the single highway the island could claim, Jai was awarded with the breath-taking and over-awing view of the cityscape of High Town. It was glorious in the light of the rising sun, a hidden paradise of opulence. And the contrast between High and Low town was stunning. Once they passed the midpoint, it only took Jai seconds of glancing out her tinted window to understand why Madripoor was commonly referred to as literally the seediest armpit of the world.

She liked it instantly.

The_ Princess Bar _was located in the _slightly_ less seedy area of Low Town and appeared to be surprisingly nice. A small oasis of High Town in the Low.

_Not at all an ideal base of operations. It's stands out way too much. This Tyger Tiger person must really have a concrete hold on her part of Madripoor to advertise so blatantly, _Jai thought, feeling slightly impressed.

The car was parked in the back, two of Tyger's men meeting her as they pulled to a stop, opening her door for her, and ushering her inside. Jai halted as soon as she crossed the threshold, inhaling the fresh, flowery scent provided by a plethora of potted plants and flowers that thrived in the humidity, increasing the sense of an oasis. Who knew the back way could be so fabulous?

"This way, Lady Jai."

"What makes everyone think I'm a lady?" she asked, looking up at Tyger's man who was a solid fourteen inches above her.

He stoically stared down at her.

"Okay. Thank you for being so...illuminating."

He pushed gently on her back urging her forward and Jai inexplicably dug her heals in.

"It's this way, Lady. Tyger Tiger and Wolverine are waiting."

Jai ducked to the side, dodging his incessantly pushing arm.

"Lady, I must insist--"

"Could you just shut up with the _lady_ thing for a second--it's absurd!" Jai backed herself into the wall, her cool assassin cover totally blown, as she was holding her arms out against the ridiculously tall henchman with his overly tenacious arm. "I just--I just need a minute, kay?"

He looked down his nose at her, utterly confounded, but gave her space.

Jai leaned against the wall like it was her only friend--not that she had any to speak of right now--and sucked heady air into her lungs. This was crazy, insane, the brain washing must have completely undone her. She wasn't used to this feeling, this nervous, jumpy energy coursing through her, wasn't used to this vulnerability and it all started with the mere mention of a _name_.

She was a professional; she needed to be stone.

And that meant not cowering against a wall like a trauma victim who was overwhelmed.

_God, how embarrassed am I for the last five seconds of my life?_

With that thought, Jai willed herself to push off the wall and walk forward, the man trailing in her wake like a well trained, thankfully silent, dog.

The bar was closed, as early morning was hardly a decent time for such an establishment to be open, and she was gestured up the stairs, and behind a gauze curtain, into the presence of Tyger Tiger, Viper, and Wolverine.

She bowed to her host, Tyger, gave Viper a coolly appraising look, and absolutely refused to look at Wolverine, wanting to avoid him all together.

"So, you're Jai, Fury's Agent." Tyger said.

"And what makes him think _you'll_ be any help?" Viper would be beautiful if not for her evilly sour expression which was currently emphasized by an upturned nose.

_And the green hair is all wrong, _Jai thought.

"She's a Hand assassin that just got over her brainwashing," Wolverine piped up, sending an electric jolt down Jai's spine. "Know anyone else who'll have inside info on how they're currently operating?"

"If it _is _the Hand," Viper said with doubtful irritation.

"You used to be their best friend back in the day," Wolverine pointed out. "True love didn't last?"

Viper glared venom at her former husband.

"One could say I...overreached."

"And got dumped," Tyger purred.

"Look _Hoan_" Viper spat, "What happened to my shipments and my people at the docks _will _eventually happen to yours as well--"

"Maybe not," Tyger said. "_My _shipments don't include drugs and weaponized pathogens. Looks like they have specific interests, Viper, dear."

Viper was less than pleased to hear her rival accurately name the merchandise she was dealing in. Even if this momentary truce with Tyger and SHIELD--and _Wolverine--_proved successful, Viper could already see the numbers adding up exponentially in her head in the amount of money she would lose.

"This is bigger than just going after my merchandise. They want _everything._ That will include your operation too, Tyger. And they're vicious enough to make even me--"

"Go to SHIELD?" Logan suggested.

"Yes," she admitted.

"What, exactly, do you mean by vicious?" Jai asked quietly.

Viper looked at the shorter, younger woman levelly, sighed her resignation, and took a file from her female associate. The pretty asian secretary with short, spiky hair was in a smart business suit that contrasted sharply with Viper's exotic jade gown and Tyger's elegant scarlet dress. In jeans and a black, fitted t-shirt, Jai felt positively underdressed, yet another emotion that was strange and new to her.

Within the file were photographs, like evidence to a macabre crime scene.

"We didn't lay them out like this," Viper explained. "This is exactly what we found when I received a phone call from an untraceable number saying my shipment had been intercepted."

Viper laid the pictures out on a table, one after the other, painting a scene of mutilation and horror.

"Damn," Wolverine whispered.

"_That,_" said Tyger Tiger "is _not_ what a turf war looks like."

"They were outmatched on every front," Viper provided. "They apprehended the merchandise with little difficulty and then...took their fucking time."

"Can you tell what shit they used on 'em so that they look like that?" Wolverine asked.

"Acid," Jai answered, distracted enough by the pictures that she didn't notice Wolverine draw nearer in an effort to look over her shoulder until she felt the body heat radiate off of him. She felt her skin erupt into goosebumps and ignored her slight shiver.

"They used acid. Probably while they were still alive. Look at the expressions on their faces."

"That's not typical of the Hand," Tyger commented, her color blanching.

"It's not about that," Jai said. "It's about psychological tactics, vindictiveness, showing you that they can come to _your _docks and do this to _your _people, and you didn't even know it happened until it's too late."

"They're here to take over; not just jack a few shipments," Wolverine stated in a cold voice.

"I still don't think it's the Hand," Viper said.

"It is," Jai stated simply. "Only five bodies were left intact. Splayed out in a starburst for exhibition. Five fingers in a hand. The others were cut up and left nearby."

Jai flipped through the photos, finding one where corroded, acid-burnt body parts were concisely stacked in a pile.

"Neat. Organized. Professional."

"Almost fucking zen," Wolverine agreed. "Any idea who's runnin' the Hand these days, Viper?"

"Shouldn't you ask your _little assassin_?"

"I know exactly who's running it," Jai answered. "My master. And this has...him all over it. I can feel it."

"So _who's_ your master?" Viper asked in disgust.

"I don't know," Jai said quietly, backing away from the photos, trying to stifle the confusing emotions rising within her. Even now, even after seeing those photos, she still _missed_ her Master, her home.

_ Abandonment. God damn it all to hell, why can SHIELD wake me up, but not get me over my fears?_

"What the _hell_ do you mean you _don't _know? Is this some kind of sick joke?" Viper asked.

Logan, who was privy to Jai's mental status via Nick, stepped between the girl and Viper.

"They fucked with her brain; she can't describe him or name him in anyway."

"Yet she's on _our_ side?" Viper was incredulous.

"Well, not _your _side so much as--"

"_No one_ wants to get back at them more than I do," Jai said fervently. "They took _everything_ from me. This is the only way I know how to get it back."

"Okay." Viper narrowed her green eyes in suspicion and contempt. "What do you suggest we do then?"

"We need more information," Tyger stepped in. "I suggest we have our people hit the streets and casually inquire about the events that don't usually involve us."

"Which isn't many," Viper said.

"So it shouldn't take long," observed Wolverine.

"_Fine._ But if my people end up taking an acid bath again there is going to be _hell to pay._"

Viper motioned to her pixie-haired secretary and they moved toward the staircase together.

"I like your hair," Jai said as the assistant passed her.

Viper and the woman gaped at Jai in derisive confusion, then descended the stairs and left the building.


	11. Chapter 11

**For all those reviewing--Wolverette, yulian, Sarita Kate, tokyofox, nileena, Xeelia, WolviesNeko, and more--I really appreciate it! LightInDarkness, so glad you found the story and are liking it:) Hearing what you have to say really helps--even if it's not always flattering, although I'm really glad it usually is;)**

**And now back to Jai and Wolverine............**

"You'll be staying here, of course," Tyger Tiger said, ever the graceful hostess. She glanced down at Jai's lone and pathetic looking duffle. "This is all you brought?"

Jai wrinkled her nose at the paltry item.

"Yeah. Technically I don't own anything of my own...and it's mostly weapons. Again most aren't my own. Which is irritating."

When Jai was brought into SHIELD, the only belongings she had to her name were her sais. The trashy club dress was not her choice, and was only for the mission, and the hot pink wig had been lost in the chase. Jai had considered cutting and dying her hair after the fashion for a whole day, thinking that it would put her own personal mark on herself, but hot pink hardly matched her mood these days.

So, simple jeans, simple black tee, simple boring straight black hair. She sighed.

"Well, not to worry about clothes, darling, we'll provide you with anything you might need while you're here. You're not the easiest size, being so petite, but I'll make a few calls right away."

Jai smiled and if felt odd on her face. "Thanks. That would be..." Jai searched for the appropriate word. Searched for what felt right coming out of her mouth.

"That would be nice." Utter failure. "Nice" didn't fit at all.

"Of course. Wolverine's going to hit the docks in an hour or so, wondered if you'd accompany him?"

Jai stiffened, hoping the other woman, all tall, curvy and confident, didn't notice.

"This is your guys' area, I'm just here to notice what you might not. I'll go where you want me."

"Excellent. I'll let you get settled. A tray of food and refreshment will be up shortly and Logan knows where to find you when he's ready."

"Oh, great." Jai tried for nonchalant, fearing she failed. Tyger frowned slightly and showed herself out.

As soon as she departed, Jai collapsed onto the luxurious bed face first. A muffled "great" came from the area of her head. She rolled over, feeling herself sink invitingly into the cushy mattress and Jai decided that she'd very quickly have to choose between a cat nap or a shower.

_Shower would be pointless, _she thought._ I'd just start to sweat again the second we went outside. Why didn't I pack any shorts? Because SHIELD didn't think to provide them. _

"Crap," she muttered. Thought about it. "Crap feels _right."_

Jai frowned, a thought suddenly coming to her. She had cargo airplane and helicarrier all over her and her last shower had been a good twenty-four hours in her past. And her partner for the day had a nose that could sniff her out like a cute, little dough-eyed Beagle.

"_Crap."_

Shower it was. And clean clothes.

Jai took her time, leaving the water temperature at cool, rinsing her body off, and appreciating the subtlety of the jasmine-scented shampoo and conditioner provided. Once showered, she dressed in light khaki pants--all the pockets keenly stuffed with nasty surprises--and an airy white tank that wouldn't soak up the sun and turn her clothing into a miniature oven. She wrapped her still wet hair into a tight, high bun and was just finishing with her shoe laces when a punctual knock came from the direction of her door.

"Come on in!" Jai shouted, realizing belatedly that the volume was unnecessary with Wolverine's heightened senses. She made a mental note to remember his abilities in an effort to not come off as Incompetent Brainwashed Girl With No Memories when around him. She could remember everything since waking up just fine--she just had no clue who she was or where she came from.

As if to prove her point, Jai muttered to herself, "Coffee, penguin...._Crap!" _

"Do you have an obsession with penguin's I should know about?"

"Jesus, do you even _know_ how to make noise when you walk?" Jai asked in exasperated irritation. She knew how to be silent, she just wasn't used to those around her being so adapt as well.

"Sometimes I growl."

Jai flushed as he looked down at her and leaned unconcernedly up against her wall, oozing what could only be labeled as masculine confidence. His beard had grown out slightly, creating a shadow over his face, and his lip was quirked with a touch of sardonic amusement.

"Huh. We match," he observed.

"You don't seem like the khaki type," she said, looking him up and down. White t-shirt, khaki pants, brown hiking shoes.

"Not usually. But they're a lot like combat pants," he said defensively. He didn't like coming off like a tourist.

Wolverine watched her tie the final double knot on her boots, taking note of her physical response to him. She was better at controlling it, but it was definitely still there. Her cheeks flushed a slight rose, her heart rate and breathing shot up in unison, and her scent went all out of whack. Mostly excitement and nervousness. But if he got too close, close enough to touch her, her pheromones did interesting things. He supposed it would be easy to write this off as an unexpected attraction to him on her part, but that usually just involved a change in the pheromones with a touch of arousal--which could quickly escalate if he took the opportunity to flirt back. Her specific reaction was something different, something more. It was a jolt to her system every time, a spike to all of her sensory reactors. Wolverine was growing more curious about it each time he was in her presence. He found he couldn't get that first encounter out of his head, her face all shocked like she was seeing the dead, her eyes lit up more vibrantly than the pink wig she had worn.

Shoe tied, Jai bounced up with an easy grace, walking past him to check her duffle for who knows what.

"The jasmine suits you," Logan said. He loved the scent, loved that Tyger kept it in all her hotels.

"Sorry?" Jai asked, her brown eyes widened in surprise.

"The jasmine. The shampoo. Fits with your natural scent."

Her pheromones spiked.

"Oh. Um. Thanks." Her blush deepened. "Ready to go?"

"Yep."

Jai made for the door and Wolverine followed. They lapsed into an uneasy silence as they took the elevator all the way down to the parking garage and Logan awkwardly beat the driver to opening the car door for Jai. He wasn't quite sure why he'd done it, his arm had just sprung up in a fit of ancient chivalry. The driver glared at him before seating himself behind the wheel and they were off.

"So. What do you think of Madripoor?" Logan finally asked. Jai had been gaping out the window since the drive began. Hopefully, it was to admire the sights rather than to avoid looking at him. He guessed that a memoryless Ninja girl wouldn't know the first thing to do with a crush under normal circumstances, and whatever was making her react to him didn't seem to be normal.

Surprisingly, she turned his way with a _dazzling_ smile. He grinned instantly in return.

"I think it's _amazing. _There's just something gritty and glorious about it, y'know? Although I'd rather be here under different circumstances."

"Yeah, this place can be a lotta fun," he said fondly. "_Always_ a shit load of trouble, but lots of fun."

"How long have you been coming here?" She asked curiously.

"Uhm...longer than I care to admit to most."

"Has it changed much over time?"

"Nah. Still as seedy as ever. It's just...lost some good people over the years. Unfortunately."

"Friends of yours?" she asked gently.

"Yeah," he said darkly.

"I'm sorry."

"It happens."

"Maybe I should be glad I don't remember my friends, huh? Won't know if I lose 'em. Won't have to worry about confusing...entanglements."

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Entanglements? That's not exactly how I would describe friendship, darlin'. Having people to watch your back, to count on, makes living your life worth something."

Logan frowned, realizing he might have come off as a little too after-school-special.

Jai returned her focus to the outside, still finding that looking at him full-on was distracting. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Aw, Christ, darlin'. There's no fucking _maybe _about it. Trust me. I've done the loner thing. I _still_ do the loner thing sometimes. Just because you don't remember your friends in the past doesn't mean you should write off future ones. They make tomorrow easier."

Jai couldn't stifle her scoff. "_Easier? _What happens when they die? Was tomorrow easier when Madripoor lost her 'good people'? And considering _your _background, I hardly believe this is the only time you've lost someone." Jai hadn't meant for it to be so scathing, but refused to take it back.

Wolverine clamped his teeth down on a feral snarl.

"Sorry I fucking said anything," he growled out. "It's your new life; do what you want with it."

He left her to her sightseeing, quietly seething, the fleshy parts between his knuckles itching ominously. Any feeling of sympathy or camaraderie was quickly evaporating and memories of Jai gutting him with her sai took up residence in his head. He knew from the beginning he should have left well enough alone.

Jai, on the other hand, was quickly but quietly growing to _hate_ being so close to Wolverine. His proximity was creating an infuriating _buzzing_ in her head, a buzzing that was connected to certain emotions--a sense of recognition to memories lost somewhere in her head, a sense of warmth and gruff smiles, a sense of a home she never remembered having. Which was the entire problem. The only _home_ she was aware of was with the Hand, with her Master. She _hated _them but _loved_ them at the same time. She couldn't help it. The hate was her own, the love was programmed into her, but knowing that it was _programmed_ didn't lessen the emotion in the least.

It made her sick inside. And for whatever, infuriatingly puzzling reason, Wolverine invoked in her the same emotions she was _programmed_ to feel for the Hand. How did she know it was real? Especially when _he_ knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that he's never met her before. _How_ did she know that someone hadn't _made_ her feel this way? And even if no one did, Jai was having a difficult time dealing with emotions that she had no real experience with outside of her brainwashing.

_I can't trust it and I can't trust myself, _she thought hopelessly.

The driver took the next exit off the highway and they found themselves on the docks in short order. Wolverine and Jai climbed out of the car simultaneously, neither allowing the driver his door-opening duties. The sweltering heat mixed with the sea air and even Jai could smell the tang of blood on the wind.

"--_fucking_ awful..." Wolverine was muttering to himself.

"What's awful?" Jai asked and Wolverine shot her a dangerous glare.

_Well, maybe he'll be easier to deal with if he hates me. Will be less inclined to get close enough to touch me. _Which was where Jai really got into trouble with the head buzzing and the confusing, tumultuous emotions.

"The _smell_," Wolverine clarified. "Acid and burnt flesh and blood all mixed with the usual disgusting filth that can be found on the docks."

Jai walked over to the dark, bloody stain left by the pile of body parts. Viper's people had removed them after taking pictures, not wanting them to rot and putrefy in the humidity and heat, however the fetid stench was still lingering in the air the closer Jai got. Wolverine took to stalking around the area, sniffing out what might have been missed earlier.

"Find anything?" Jai called out.

"Not _yet_," he replied curtly. "It takes more'n a few seconds."

_Yep, he's good and pissed._

Jai slowly walked around the stained planks of the dock, looking for a missed clue, an overlooked hint. She pictured the photographs of the body parts as she walked around the site of the massacre, flipping the image in her brain as she circled, trying to see how it would have appeared from each angle. Decapitated heads on the bottom to show disrespect, then legs, torsos, arms, and hands on top.

"Heads on the bottom," she whispered, focusing on the image in her head. "Heads on the bottom facing inward. That means something...something...what does it mean?"

"You tell me, kid. Your brain's the one with the fucked up memories."

"So, now I'm 'kid' huh?"

Wolverine ignored her question and started circling her as she circled the blood stain.

"Facing inward, or facing in the opposite direction of the photo? Do we have the pictures with us?" Jai asked, looking up at Wolverine again.

He nodded and motioned to the driver who came down towards them, file in hand.

Jai flipped through the photos, finding the ones she desired.

"Damn it. These are the only angles they got?"

"Looks like it," Wolverine said, once again brushing against her back as he looked over her shoulder.

Jai ground her teeth in irritation and caught her breath in the same instance.

"Don't _do _that."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to screw with your emotionless state," he said sarcastically, but made no effort to step back.

Jai glared over her shoulder and positioned herself where the last photo would have been taken, with the heads facing in the exact opposite direction. She kneeled down, wanting to be at the same level the photographer would have been at.

"Facing inward or facing that _way." _She looked up straight ahead.

"Nothin' there but ocean," Wolverine observed dryly. The edge of the dock was only a few feet away before the water started.

"Yeah, but look at the photo. There was a Japanese freighter exactly there when these men were murdered. And their decapitated heads where all faced towards it."

Logan walked up and looked at the photo in her hand.

"Damn. Okay. So. What do you think it means?"

Jai opened up the file, thumbing through the prints, finding all the pictures with the same freighter in the background, endeavoring to get a whole picture of the vessel. As she placed the fragments into the closest semblance of a whole as possible, a deep, dark shadow of a nightmare rose up within Jai, shocking her to her core more thoroughly than even Wolverine was capable of.

"I think...I've been on that ship before. I think I've killed someone on it before." Jai said quietly, her breathing growing uneven with the realization.

"Shouldn't you know for sure? I thought you had all your memories from working with the Hand?"

"I do--I mean I _should._ I fucking thought I did. _Shit._ It's like--it's like--" She looked up at him with fearful eyes, feeling like she couldn't catch her breath. Feeling like a dark curtain had been drawn back, ever so slightly, in her head. "It's like _you_. It's like _remembering_ you."

"Jai..." Wolverine started, unsure of how to word his warning. "I'm not sure there's anything to remember. I told you I've never met you--"

"I know. I _fucking know_, okay? But that doesn't change the fact that I feel like you're familiar. This ship, this freighter is familiar too. _I just don't know why_."

To her utter horror, Jai felt tears prick her eyes, found she couldn't contain a tell-tale sniff. _Another_ new sensation to grow accustomed to. She didn't _cry_ when upset, since when did professional Ninja assassins _cry?!_

Jai suddenly felt very, very alone.

Wolverine frowned, trying to squash the renewed sympathy rising up within him all over again. His anger was slowly dissipating as he knelt down next to Jai and placed a friendly hand on her back in an effort to help. She drew in a shuddering breath, her jasmine-scent spiking at his touch. He unknowingly drove her loneliness away and Jai let him, welcomed it.

After a while, she found that her voice had steadied.

"I can't trust it, you know. How I respond to you, why I do. How do you know I haven't been planted in your life to fuck it all up?"

"I guess we don't. Is that what has you freaked out so much?"

"Yes. And now this Madripoor thing, that freighter. I'm not used to not trusting myself, Wolverine."

"That's because brainwashed people don't _have_ to trust themselves. They just have to do what they're ordered to do."

"Nobody knows what's behind my mind blocks. I could still be the enemy."

"Yeah, but you don't want to be. And that's the important part. That's the real you in there waking up and making a choice for yourself, Jai." Wolverine ran his hand up and down her back, could feel her body relax with the simple motions. She let him touch her, but refused to turn and face him.

"How can you tell?"

"Experience."

She laughed. Just a little. "Guess you would know, huh?"

"Yeah, I really would." He tried to sound comforting, but he couldn't keep the feral edge out of his voice. "Look...about the mind blocks. I could get you some help. If you wanted. It's safe to say I now know every mutant psychic on the planet."

She sniffed again and wiped at the few traitorous tears that had escaped down her face. Said nothing.

"Well, think about it, huh?" Then, desperate to change the focus and put her back on steady ground, Wolverine got back to business. "There's part of a serial number on the freighter in one of the pictures. Hard to make out, but it's there. I'll send these Nick's way."

Jai stared out to sea and was still unresponsive. This section of the dock was on the north end.

"North. Towards Japan," she whispered.

Wolverine reached down again, lifted her back to her feet.

"Yeah. Towards Japan. C'mon, Jai. Let's get back."

****

"A Japanese freighter? Well, _that_ narrows it down. Especially when it looks like every Japanese freighter--or any other freighter--out there," Viper said curling her lip in disdain as the photos of her dismembered men were once again laid out before her.

"And what did _you_ find?" Wolverine asked, his ire on the rise.

Viper gave him a cold green stare.

"Exactly," Tyger spoke up. "When do you think Nick'll get back on the serial number?"

"Within the hour," Wolverine responded.

"In the meantime, I have a list of all other ships that have come in and out of the Madripoor docks in the last two weeks and have no connection to either Viper or myself." Tyger handed out papers, complete with names, schedules, serial numbers, and pictures.

Viper took her copy and turned her scowl into a self-satisfied smile.

"Wrong, Tyger, dear. There's three on here involved in my business." Viper pointed to two of the cruise ships and one of the cargo ships. "Those are under my influence."

"Is the freighter on that list?" Jai asked, this time curious enough to move up closer and look over Wolverine's shoulder.

_Maybe the more I'm around him, the more I'll get used to it. _

Wolverine scanned the list and pointed out said ship to her. "The _Burning Star _looks like it. Mean anything to you?"

Jai shrugged. "Not the name. But, you're right, it looks like the one we're looking for--it looks familiar."

"What do you mean familiar?" Viper asked.

"Jai thinks she's been on it before."

"Ah, but once again doesn't remember it? Or can't actually tell us anything useful?"

Jai rolled her eyes in total exasperation and suppressed the urge to punch the green woman in the face.

"Would you _shut up_ about that already? My half-memories are already getting us further than anything you've accomplished so how about you stick it up your green butt already?"

Wolverine and Tyger regarded the usually quiet girl with shock.

Viper's eyes widened in outrage at the surprising verbal assault and took a menacing step forward to tower over the shorter, younger woman.

"Look _here_, you little _worthless_ amnesiac--" Viper didn't get a chance to finish her threat as Jai swept her leg under Viper, effectively knocking her onto the floor, and then landed on her _hard_ with her knee pressed into Viper's chest.

"I have had _enough_ of your stuck up bullshit, you putrid green _whore_." Jai knelt down until she was close enough to count the woman's pores if she wanted to. "Threaten me again and I'll personally introduce you to your very own acid bath and I guarantee you _I know how to take it slow_."

Viper glared venomous hate at the girl on top of her, but wasn't able to hide the shadow of fear in her jaded eyes.

Jai agilely bounced back to her feet whereas the older woman slowly picked herself up, trying to catch her breath the whole way. Viper clutched at her chest; already she could tell there was going to be a violent purple bruise just above her breasts. It would be a week before she could wear the majority of her wardrobe again without showing off the ugly mark on her otherwise flawless and well-maintained skin.

"You little _bitch," _she spat.

"That's _assassin_ bitch to _you_," Jai clarified. Madame Hydra she may be, but they both knew Jai could find an opportunity to slip through the cracks of Hydra's security, and they both knew that if it came to an up-close and personal, hands-on affair, Viper's skill would be found wanting.

"Obviously, my help isn't needed right now," Viper said somewhat petulantly. "_Do_ call if something actually comes from this supposed lead."

Viper showed herself out, her largely clueless bodyguards converging around her just outside the door.

"Well," Tyger said in a dry voice. "She'll find a way to make us pay for _that_ little tussle."

Jai felt pink rush to her cheeks in discomposure.

"Sorry."

Wolverine grinned at her.

"Don't be. That was, by far, the best part of my day. Guess you really are starting to get your personality back, huh?"

"You would see losing your temper as a reemerging personality trait," Tyger said, smiling at Logan, and then at Jai, and then just in general because she _loved_ seeing Viper in pain, on the ground, and wholly disgraced.

"She deserved it," Wolverine continued. "And we don't need her right now anyway. Nick sent me a message. Guess who's sailing back into port tonight?"

Wolverine showed Tyger the message and her eyes lit up once she realized where exactly the _Burning Star _was tying up. "_That_ cruise liner is hosting a benefit tonight and will get us nice and close. Anyone fancy dancing tonight?"

Wolverine's canines seemed sharper, more distinct, as his grin widened with predatory satisfaction.

The hunt was on.


	12. Chapter 12

**Once again, thank you so much for all the reviews--you make my day when you do! Proud to be an X-Nerd, welcome to the party!! I hope I don't kill you with the suspense because Jai has a ways to go before she figures out the truth. (Insert evil laughter here.) And now, the next installment....!**

"You want me to pose as an expensive escort?!"

Jai glared at the direction Wolverine's disembodied voice was coming from and Wolverine immediately regretted spitting this information out rather than let Tyger handle it more gently.

"Don't tell me it's your first time, dear." Tyger spoke up, coyly.

"No," Jai frowned in distaste. They were in one of Tyger's private parlor's going over the necessities for the evening's plans and dressing up for the occasion.

"But I was _brainwashed_ at the time. I didn't have a choice as to what my cover was--now I do. _And_--I don't _want to be a hooker._"

"An edict every girl should live by," Wolverine said as he finally joined the women in an expensively tailored suit, complete with bow tie.

Jai stared, momentarily startled out of her irritation. She couldn't help it. She would never, ever have pictured Wolverine in such a get-up and if, for whatever reason, she _had,_ she would never, ever have imagined the result would be so...debonair.

"Wow...you look...um...huh."

Tyger gave the younger woman a sharp, inquisitive look. "Excellently put, Jai. Yes, the man does clean up nice. Now, about _you."_

"_Why?_ Just tell me why the only option for me is high-end whore?"

"Because," Jessan began with a long-suffering tone, "any woman at that party who isn't a whore has already been established as someone of distinction in Madripoor. Like myself, for instance. You are _no one_ and the only reason you would be allowed into such an occasion is if someone was _paying_ you to be there. And paying you enough that you're not just a party favor, dear, but someone who he will take home, strip naked, and have you tell him how well-endowed you think he is. Hell, he'd probably want to do it on the damn ship."

"That...was a little too detailed." Jai slumped into a chair, starting to become accustomed to her fate, and Wolverine raised an interested brow in the background.

"If it makes you feel any better, the dress is couture," Tyger said in a placating voice.

_This_ sent an unexpected thrill of excitement through Jai. "Really? Really, really? Can...I see it?"

Tyger ushered Jai towards the closet and whispered to Wolverine, "Fashion. Who knew?"

Logan took the opportunity to escape lady-time and cool his well-dressed heels at the refinished bar.

Minutes later, Jai was cosigned to a plush beauty salon chair as Tyger Tiger's hired stylists descended on her to prepare her for an evening of luxurious and fabulous ninja stealth and espionage.

_Or would it be more like pirating since we're jumping ship to illegally board another ship? _Jai mused as one overzealous hairdresser _pulled_ hard enough to summon tears to her eyes. Jai winced and glared at the woman through the mirror.

"Do that again and you'll lose a finger." Jai meant it as one part threat and two parts joke, but the assassin within incorporated an edge to her voice and _all_ her specialized beauticians added a shade of delicacy to their work, allowing Jai to relax for the first time since hearing the words "expensive lady friend" from Wolverine.

She sighed. _My sense of humor needs work._ _I don't know how to interact with people very well. Ugh._ _On the other hand, this __**does**__ get me what I want..._

Tyger, who was slightly better at interpreting Jai's attempt at humor, gave her a small smile. "Sung is a master, if a little heavy handed in her work. You'll appreciate the outcome, trust me."

Jai switched the focus back to the benefit.

"So you're going as yourself, obviously." Jai looked at Tyger through the mirror now. "That won't arouse any suspicion?"

"No, I've made all the necessary calls. I was due to show face at one of these things anyway," she said in dismay.

"That exciting, huh?"

"You and Wolverine will get to have all the fun tonight," she purred. "He's not as well known as he once was. Too many new people. Gives him a freer reign, though."

"That's good to know. What's his cover?"

"He doesn't really have one. He's coming as my guest. Simple, uncomplicated. Which I'm _sure_ is how the whole affair will go."

The stylists finished off Jai's hair and the make-up artist came at her with various brushes.

"You know," she said, "I really am capable of doing this myself. Assassination is not the only skill in my arsenal."

"Let them work," Tyger insisted. "They know how the high-end escorts should be dressed up. And if you're being paid for sex then other men at the party won't pay as much attention to what they say when you saunter around them."

Jai rolled her eyes in irritation and Tyger excused herself to go get dressed.

_I've overcome my brainwashed imprisonment to walk into hell of my own free will. _

Jai sighed. It was going to be a long night.

****

Later that evening, Tyger Tiger's resplendent Mercedes rolled up to the red carpet of the _Merchant's Dream_, effectively depositing the Lady of Madripoor, the dangerous man formerly known as Patch, and the mysterious ninja assassin known only, and simply, as Jai. Jessen Hoan immediately took the spotlight, her impressive stature over-awing Logan and Jai's presence and allowing them to linger in the background as they boarded the ship. Every single person in attendance made a point to smile, wave, or walk up to greet Tyger like she was the Queen of Sheba and Jai quickly began to appreciate her guise of some no-name whore.

"Man, they're really laying it on thick, huh?" Jai commented watching as Tyger slowly but effectively made her way through the crowd.

"It's not always fun to be on top despite what it seems like," Logan agreed. "Well, darlin', now that we're here, we should make a point to look like we're enjoyin' the party before we disappear. How 'bout a dance?"

Logan placed his warm hand on the small of her back which was provocatively bare due to the low cut of her expensive dress. He felt a delightful shiver run through her body and could smell her pheromones mix pleasantly with the Jasmine on her skin. The affect was truly a delight to his senses. Not waiting for an answer, he led her to the dance floor and couldn't hide his arrogant smile as her eyes turned to a soft, warm dilated brown. He stepped into a simple waltz and she matched him perfectly.

"Well, this is a nice change of pace," he commented appreciatively.

Jai was having a difficult time focusing on anything other than the fact that Wolverine had pulled her close enough to press his body against hers and responded with an eloquent "Huh?"

"Enjoying a dance with a girl who actually doesn't tower over me for once." Logan looked straight into her eyes; even heels didn't give her much advantage.

_Almost like--_he stopped the thought there, not wanting to go any further.

"What's wrong?" Jai asked. "Are you sensing something?"

Logan cleared his throat gruffly, feeling a keen need for a beer.

"No. We should have a spin around the floor for a few mores songs and then I should be good and ready to get you alone."

Jai stepped on his toe. "Excuse me?"

Logan smiled at the startled expression on her face. "Half the suites on this ship are empty and prepared for private use, darlin'. All we have to do is retire to one of 'em and we can slip out the window without bein' obvious."

"Oh!" Jai narrowed her eyes as she blushed like a naive schoolgirl. "Right. Okay. So half the suites are prepped for paid sex? Classy party."

"Only the best in Madripoor, darlin'." Logan flashed her a quick grin before dipping her back, and then pulling her close to nuzzle her neck and Jai had to bite her lip.

"All about putting on the right show," he breathed into her neck, telling himself he wasn't taking advantage of her reaction to him. Telling himself that his control wasn't slipping, hadn't been slipping, ever since her scent spiked around him and played with his nose mercilessly, and Jai had pressed her lithe body up against his.

_Never told her I was a decent guy, _Wolverine reasoned within his own head. Then stifled the twinge of guilt.

Two dances later, Logan snagged a champagne for a glassy-eyed Jai and regretted just how far he'd let his flirtations go on the dance floor.

"No," she said, pushing the glass away. "Not while on a mission. Some water would be nice though."

"Alright, well, let's get you to the room then and let you--"

"Collect myself?" she said in a sardonic, self-mocking tone, her bright eyes eying him with equal parts heat and accusation, her cheeks flushed a heady and becoming color.

"Sorry," Wolverine muttered under his breath.

_Okay, it's official. I'm a shameless ass, _he thought as he made his way over to Tyger's man to grab the key to their pre-assigned suite.

"Everything's waiting for you there, Mr. Logan," the man said as Tyger came up behind them.

"That's quite the convincing act the two of you are putting on," she murmured under her breath.

"Yeah, well." Logan scratched a side burn. "We'll see you back at the _Princess Bar."_

"I won't wait up." Tyger sauntered away, her hips drawing every male eye in the vicinity.

As soon as they entered their private suite, Jai excused herself to go into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her and turning the faucet on. The normal buzzing his proximity created in her head was now resonating through out her entire body and she was shaking from the intensity of it. She reached out a hand, intending to splash some refreshing water on her face, but stopped at the last second, catching her reflection in the mirror, but seeing something different for a heartbeat. An image popped into her head, and for a second her reflection sported a hot pink wig, and her tummy flipped remembering the Tokyo night club and seeing Logan for the first time.

_Why is this happening to me? What is going on in my head?!_

Jai had danced before, kissed and flirted with men before, let them paw at her and undress her before, all in an effort to get into the exact position necessary to succeed at her job. Too often, the position was a compromising one. Luckily, she was skilled enough that she never had to cross certain lines, and now, with herself back in her own head, she was imminently grateful for that last.

But she had never, _ever_ felt like this before.

That she could remember.

Her anger at him was abated only by the fact, that no matter how badly the Hand had abused her emotionally, they hadn't ever made her feel lust or attraction or a myriad of other sultry body-effecting emotions for her Master, or her fellow assassins, or worse, for her targets.

Logan was maddeningly unique.

He certainly wasn't the only man Jai found herself attracted to. He was just the only man that she had such an instinctive reaction to that was so powerfully tied to a sense of recognition.

And possibly the one and only man on the planet who could so accurately sense what he was doing to her.

_If I knew how, I might just kill him,_ Jai thought angrily.

She splashed the water on the back of her neck and throat, remembered how it felt to have Wolverine's powerful hand squeeze the very breath out of her.

_Even then, I didn't feel like I was in any real danger. I should have, though. There is absolutely no reason I can remember that I should react this way, that I shouldn't have expected him to kill me._

Jai slammed the water faucet off in a fit of frustration and pulled the door open dramatically before she could psych herself out anymore.

She was greeted by an embarrassed Wolverine holding out a glass of water like a peace offering. She squared her shoulders, nodded her thanks, and accepted the glass. Walked passed Wolverine and towards the black bags full of equipment laid on the bed for them.

"Look, Jai..."

"Don't worry about it, Wolverine."

"I shouldn't have come on as strong as I did and--"

"Really, you don't have anything to apologize for; it fit perfectly with our cover," she said in a cool voice that belied the fact that her heart rate had yet to find a normal rhythm. She unzipped the bags and began pulling out the various items, laying them out on the bed.

"Wow...it's like a ninja girl's dream." Jai ran her delicate but lethal hand down the black fabric of sturdy light-weight body armor and eyed the numerous throwing stars appreciatively.

"I won't do it again," Logan persisted.

Jai let out a heavy breath and gave her momentary partner a shadow of a smile, telling herself she meant it.

"Okay." She grabbed her suit off the bed. "I'm going to change in the bathroom."

Logan stepped aside to let her pass and reached for his own duds, black and midnight blue with red eye covering. It wasn't technically an X-Force mission, but it seemed appropriate, and by the time he was dressed, Jai stepped out of the bathroom, a walking black shadow from neck to wrists to ankles and immediately started accessorizing. With every Ninja weapon she packed onto her small frame, she visibly seemed to relax and regain her balance and by the time she was done, Wolverine suspected she had packed more steel onto her small body than he had adamantium bonded to his skeleton.

She turned to him, every inch the level-headed professional.

"Ready?"

"Ready," he affirmed.

Jai opened the window, looked out to both sides to make sure they were clear, then tossed him a grin over her shoulder. "Let's rock."

Logan watched as she executed a perfect swan dive into the sea, noted her position as she came up for air, and followed suit. He ground his teeth at the obvious pollutants in the water, making the brine in his mouth and nostrils taste even worse.

Jai pulled the string on her inflatable kick board because it was simply impossible to be expected to swim any length with the added weight of her weapons.

"I don't want to know what I'm swimming in, do I?"

Wolverine pulled the cord on his own, not too manly to admit that he didn't mind the extra help when hauling his weighty skeleton through water.

"You really don't. Try not to think about it."

"Blech." She stuck her tongue out in emphasis and kicked her feet into action eager to reach the _Burning Star _and vacate the grossness. Several minutes of vigorous kicking later, Jai and Wolverine pulled abreast of the freighter and Wolverine hand-signaled that they should continue until they reached the bow.

"Less security," came his gruff whisper as she swam after him.

Wolverine popped his claws once he reached his goal and began scaling his way up the ship, not caring one whit about what adamantium puncture holes would do to the ship's sea-worthiness. He hung below the top for several seconds listening for footsteps, breathing, low talking, any sign of a human presence above him. Determining that he was clear, he swung himself up, and lowered a line for Jai to shimmy up as he crouched low and took in the scents of his surroundings. The guards he'd detected so far smelled of expensive leather and gun oil. Not at all typical of the Hand.

"Well, they're not ready to be obvious," Jai whispered when he commented on it. "That's why we're here."

"Getting any...weird feelings yet?" he asked.

She shook her head sternly, her eyes darting from one part of the ship to the other intently.

"Where do you think we should start?" Jai asked.

Wolverine's smile was demonically emphasized by his red eyes. "I smell acid."

Jai followed as he took the lead, slipping from shadow to shadow, both wishing to avoid any detection until they had a clearer picture of what they were dealing with. Wolverine followed his nose to a locked side door that didn't stand a chance against the edge of his adamantium claws and opened it to reveal a staircase to the lower decks.

"Don't think there's anybody down here," Logan whispered back.

They took the stairs down two decks, and Jai was forced to reach her hand out to Wolverine as the darkness thickened to the point that only he could see properly due to his heightened senses. She was grateful for the fact that two sets of gloves protected her skin from his.

"How much further?"

"Just up ahead," he replied. "Betchya it's the cargo hold too."

"Do you smell anything besides the acid?" she asked, thinking if all they managed to find on this entire operation was barrel after barrel of acid, they'd be bitterly disappointed.

"Nothin' remarkable."

They reached the door and, after Logan sniffed at it, Jai heard a delicate _snikt _as he used a single claw to slice through this locked door as well. They entered into pitch blackness and the tanginess of acid immediately invaded Jai's nose, making her eyes water.

"Logan?" Jai asked in a strangled voice.

"Yeah. This is foul. Pretty damn sure there're more bodies in the acid. I'm gonna turn the lights on."

Jai stood still as Logan felt his way along the wall, looking for the switch. He clicked it on and she blinked repeatedly at the harsh brightness.

_"Motherfucker," _Wolverine snarled while Jai was still blinking.

"What?" Jai asked as she glanced from Wolverine to the barrels that were obviously the acid containers.

"_Those_," Wolverine gestured to cloth-covered objects standing behind the barrels, like eerie furniture that belonged in an ancient condemned house.

Jai narrowed her eyes and marched slowly towards them, gagging on the hideous scent as she passed by the barrels. She stalked closer and eyed what appeared to be a hand-shaped something reaching up and outward from its ghostly cloth covering. As she focused on the hand, a bizarre, sick feeling rose up within her, the stench made her gut roll, and Jai desperately knew that she didn't want to face what lay beneath the sheets, but couldn't stop herself from slowly reaching up to pull away the thin barrier between her and the horror.

The sheet fell away with just a flick of her wrist, and Jai fell to her knees, moaning low in her throat.

"Noooo, oh, God, _**no**_."

Stone statues. Horrible, grotesque emulations of people, faces twisted in fear and pain, frozen for an eternity in cold, gray rock. They went back into the cargo hold further than Jai could see, row after row of stone death.

"Jai, _do you know what this is?_" Wolverine had come up behind her, a strange and powerful rage shaking through his muscled frame, his murderous voice.

Tears streaked down Jai's face as she nodded in response, a tiny, but significant door in her memory finally opening.

"Yes, yes, I _remember _this now, Logan. _He_ did this, this is how he can kill--"

"Who, Jai? Who the fuck did this?"

"My-my Master," Jai shook her head, the stench and realization getting to her all at once, making her head spin in an awful, sickening way.

No longer able to keep the contents of her stomach down, Jai bent away from Wolverine and lost control between two acid barrels.

Wolverine let out a low, dangerous growl, his claws unsheathing with menacing finality.

Jai spat the taste from her mouth and stoop back up, her knees still shaky.

"You sure beyond any shadow of a fucking doubt it was your _master_ who did this, Jai? The master of the Hand?" he clarified.

Her eyes lit up with a dark and deadly thrill as she nodded her affirmation. "I'd swear on my own damn grave."

"Well, kid, you just confirmed our worst possible fear," Logan ground out, staring down the statue she had uncovered. "Let's get the hell outta here. _Now._"

Jai stared at the tableau Wolverine made while standing stone still and facing the hapless victim before him. His black and blue uniform gave him a stony hue in the poor lighting, his scarlet eyes the only evidence he was human flesh and not a part of the terrible collection.

"You were a statue," Jai whispered.

"What?" Wolverine glared at her sharply.

"You were a statue. You were one of them--_you were here_! I remember seeing you here, among other statues, frozen and....dead." Jai stared as him in shock the complete and absolute certainty of her statement vibrating through her being. "I _recognize _you. I _remember _you."

"_That's _why I seem familiar to you? Well...I guess that's as good an explanation as any," he said calmly.

"What?! What the hell do you mean that's a_ good explanation?_ You were dead! And now you're not! How are you not still here and not made of fucking granite or something?" Jai yelled at the man incredulously.

"Keep your damn voice down," Wolverine snarled. "And let's get outta hear before we screw the pooch on this op."

Logan turned his back on the frozen dead and stalked back towards the door.

"That doesn't answer my question!" she shot back.

"Now's not the time, Jai."

Left with little alternative, Jai followed after Wolverine as he made his way to the exit. He reached to flip the light switch off and leave their discoveries in the dark, but his gloved hand paused over it at the last second.

"What is it?" Jai whispered into the back of his neck.

"Bloody handprint." He moved so she could see for herself. Followed the direction the red fingers were pointing--to the left and to a metal side door.

"Little further down the rabbit hole, Wolverine?" Jai pushed.

"Why not? I already have a bad feelin', darlin', and when you get to know me better, you'll know that I tend to make a bad situation worse." He walked towards the door, claws out.

_Just so long as you don't have to talk about your time as a piece of statuary, _Jai thought to herself, following him.

The room was filled with computer equipment.

"Jackpot!" Jai exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She pulled out the wheely chair that all techies seem to require in their techie offices and booted up the computer.

"Maybe, maybe not," Logan said. "How good are you at these damn things?"

"Good enough," she replied, small fingers dancing over the keyboard.

She proceeded to open different files, searching for any useful information.

"Cargo lists, schedules, coordinates, maps, it actually all looks typical," she said with a frown.

The screen suddenly blinked off and then lit up with an eerie green color.

"What did you do?"

Jai held her hands up away from the keyboard like they had the ability to fry the computer.

"Nothing! I don't know."

The screen went from green to black and green letters started to appear as if someone unknown was slowly typing out a message.

"This is going to be the from bad to worse part, huh?" Jai asked.

"_Shit."_

_ "Not even...the stars..._what does that mean?" she queried.

"Someone's coming, Jai, you tripped an alarm!" Wolverine growled low in his throat, pulling her away from the computer.

Jai looked up at him. "Can you buy me some time?"

His red eyes narrowed.

"Three minutes. No more. Then I'm coming back for you."

She nodded in acquiescence, then turned back to the screen, trying to exit out of the program that was holding the computer hostage, as the message finished.

"_Not even the stars in the sky," _she whispered. Her eyes went oddly blank then she slumped forward, out cold.

"Jai? Jai!" Wolverine caught her before she fell out of the chair, his ears echoing with the footsteps of the oncoming guards.

_"Shit."_


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, folks, so I'm going to be doing a lot of roadtripping over the next several weeks. I will try my hardest to keep the updates coming as much as possible, but if it takes longer than usual, it's just for a little while. PROMISE!! Once again, thank you oh so much for all the reviews!!!:)**

Wolverine pulled the limp Jai into a corner for cover then left the room, shutting the door behind him, then raced along the wall to shut the lights off, popped his claws, slicing them through the switch so it short-circuited. With Jai unconscious, he wanted every advantage possible, and he was better off in the dark with his heightened senses. He had just scant seconds to slip behind an acid barrel before the guards kicked the door in and started filing into the cargo hold, guns and flashlights in hand.

_Guns and the Hand,_ Wolverine thought. _Doesn't make sense. What the hell is the Gorgon playing at?_

He gritted his teeth as the ugly name rolled through his brain, inciting deep dark painful memories of death and trauma and horror.

Jubilee impaled by his katana, nailed to the floor like prey.

The scent of Jubilee's dying breath as it caressed his rough cheek, the light in her beautiful eyes fading to dullness.

_Don't let him win..._Words that would haunt him for the rest of his long-suffering, drawn out life.

The stone-cold sensation crawling through his body, freezing muscles and sinew and adamantium bones in death and failure.

Unbidden, the lightless black of the dark cargo hold turned to a deep scarlet and the uncaged beast within let out a gut-wrenching pain-filled ululation.

_Snikt!_

Gunfire let loose in Wolverine's direction, targeting in on his murderous howl. It echoed through the ship like deadly thunder, the bullets piercing through him and the scores of acidic barrels, spraying the burning liquid everywhere.

Wolverine gave himself over to the feralness whole-heartedly, the agony of hot lead and fiery acid fueling his rage. He leapt into the fray snarling, his claws guided by instinct and feral-honed senses, slicing through acid-corroded metal to let the deadly liquid run free, cutting through guns as they fired in his direction, and, most satisfyingly, slicing through soft, vulnerable flesh, and letting hot blood splash in every direction, coating his skin and uniform, mixing with the acid on the deck, the tangy sweetly-sick scent driving him further over the edge.

Screams rent the air as the Wolverine rode the wave of fury cresting within him.

Minutes later, Wolverine stood hulking and heaving in a disgusting mess of bloody acid and dismembered body parts, his wounds knitting back together sluggishly as his healing factor fought the acid that still clung to his skin, burning it's way through. He rolled his neck with a snarl and waded through the massacre and to the back room, intent on retrieving Jai and vacating the ship quickly.

The door was open.

He narrowed his eyes and bolted towards the room with a strange twist in his gut at what might have transpired while he murdered in the dark.

Wolverine threw the door back into the wall as he barreled through, claws ready to gut any guard that had evaded him and was holing up with an unconscious girl.

_Sick prick,_ he thought.

But there was no one there.

Jai was gone.

****

Jai walked through the dark depths of the ship like a murderous dream. Memory drove her steps, bringing her closer to a secured room at the bow of the ship, just below the bridge. She keyed the code without a second thought, fingers subconsciously knowing when her brain wasn't fully engaged. The room was lit with the soft glow of candlelight, the floors polished hard wood, the balance of the room maintained with delicate, but opposing forces of light and dark, Japanese mats covered the wooden floor, beautiful, deadly weapons hung on the walls, sheathed, and lovingly cared for, but awaiting use.

Jai tipped her head back dreamily, almost drunk, and smiled as she absorbed the pleasant atmosphere of the room.

It was a sanctuary, glorious and pure.

But the stars were in the sky.

This knowledge pricked at her, tingled over her skin like electricity, heated her blood to a fiery height.

And someone had made the appropriate arrangements.

It was displayed in the center of the room, intoxicatingly alluring. Sharply hand-tempered steel that reflected like starlight, a warm rosewood saya covering laying next to it like a lover.

A hand-written note was left before it, scarlet Japanese characters drawing the eye.

Jai lifted the note up, reading it with a soft smile, then let it fall gently to the floor. She pulled off her small black glove, needing the first touch to be intimate, personal. Wrapped her hand around the hilt, reveling in the feeling of homecoming and security. This weapon was created solely for her, like a missing piece of her soul returned finally to the corporeal reality of her hand.

Her hand _itched_ with a lost memory as she held the weapon, pulling her ever-so-slightly into reality.

The stars were in the sky.

Jai hefted the rosewood saya, sheathed her katana, and discarded her typical and unoriginal SHIELD weapons one after the other, until there was nothing to obscure the purity of her balance and weight.

She swept from the room, leaving the note buried in a pile of weaponry.

_They are coming._

*****

Wolverine tracked her scent to the bow of the ship through darkness, a keen sense of dread dogging his steps.

_Nobody knows what's behind my mind blocks. I could still be the enemy. _

And she had, in all likelihood, just been activated.

_They knew we were goin' to be here. They knew _she_ was goin' to be here, be vulnerable._

They had walked right into a trap and Wolverine had only himself to blame.

_I never should have left her alone, not even for one damned second. _

Frenzied footsteps headed in his direction as Logan caught a shift in Jai's scent-trail. She had come this way then backtracked up to the top. She had gone in the direction the guards were coming from.

Adamantium ripped through Wolverine's skin with a painful and cathartic _snikt_ as the unknowing guards proceeded to stumble his direction and towards their doom.

He let loose a gut-wrenching, terrifying roar as a dozen guards fell over themselves with the belated realization that they had just left a dangerous and life-threatening situation for what was possibly a worse one. Logan impaled the first guard, lifting him off his feet with the sheer force of his blow, ripping upwards until organs were exposed and then threw him into the wall as the man let out a gurgling moan.

Wolverine ducked down, relieving the next two guards of their legs. If they didn't die of the shock, then they at least wouldn't be any more trouble.

The next wave regained their composure with enough time to unload a scant few bullets into the unstoppable slashing force barreling towards them.

It did them little good as they watched their entrails vacate their bodies and meet the cold metal deck. They dropped, moaning in horror.

_God, what a bunch of ass-wipes, _Logan thought. _At least the Hand are actually worth a good time; these dicks don't know their assholes from their eyeballs._

Wolverine's face contorted into a blood-seeking snarl as he ripped through the remaining worthless guards, focusing on Jai's soft, warm Jasmine-musky scent, refusing to lose it as the coppery tang of blood and the sickly smell of entrails filled the small hall. Wolverine sliced through the last guard easily, his body dropping to the port side, his lopped off head falling to starboard and bouncing down a staircase to the lower deck with soft _thumps_.

Wolverine bolted up the same staircase, kicking through the door to the upper deck so powerfully, he blew the metal right off it's hinges and dropped his jaw in shock, as he sighted what the guards had been running away from.

They crawled like a wave of dangerously poisonous spiders over the whole vessel, midnight black tinged in scarlet, silver weapons glinting in their hands like promises of death. The Hand had finally reared their many heads.

And Jai was lost among the sea of ninjas.

Logan lunged into the fray head on, intent on honing in on the single female scent available to him, intent on finding Jai and getting her the hell out of there before the Hand fully reclaimed her.

_All my damn fault, _Wolverine thought darkly, trying not to think of another girl he had lost to the Gorgon, another girl he had failed completely, another girl who's life was taken from her. But Jubilee's face floated through his head, bright, insistent, beautiful. Jai might not be dead, but brainwashing her just as surely took away the life she was striving to live freely. Something he could relate to all too well, something no one had been able to save him from.

Driven by a need he didn't fully understand, Wolverine cut through the lethal crowd, _refusing_ to let Jai be taken again.

A flash of scarlet caught his eye and another feminine scent graced his nose.

_What the hell?_

_ "Aauurgh!"_ The distraction was enough to give a Ninja the advantage in impaling him and suddenly Wolverine was seeing red _everywhere._

The next several minutes were a blur of gratuitously violent mayhem of berserker rage, a rage that was too close to the surface recently, too ready to take him over completely, especially on this mission. His control was shaky, bordering on non-existent. And his personal death toll was rising exponentially as a direct result.

Wolverine plowed through the mass of ninjas, numb to his own injuries; Jai's scent was like a cool, refreshing breeze in the storm of bloody horror. He clung to it with the small corner of his brain where his sanity was stored, followed it through the all-out warfare that had erupted on the freighter. It was heady, fresh, _alive_, Jasmine-tinged and wonderful, a lifeline that would lead him straight to her still beating heart, a clear sign that she was here, within his reach and accessible.

And the other wonderfully feminine scent was targeting in on Jai as well.

_"ELEKTRA!" _Wolverine howled, concentrating hard on forming coherent words through his rage.

Bright green eyes caught his under the starlight, a satisfied smile spread across her beautiful face, challenging him with an almost playful _catch me if you can. _ Her blood red uniform disappeared in the sea of black and Wolverine raced after her.

She halted at the edge of an upper deck walkway that looked out over the back of the ship and Wolverine wrapped his meaty hand around her neck, held his lethal claws to her pumping jugular. He clenched his teeth against his first retort as he realized the scene Elektra was looking down on.

Elektra had found Jai.

She was down below, surrounded by a constantly flowing band of Hand warriors and she was dancing in the middle, a solitary katana glinting and flashing in her small hand, like a bladed dream. She pivoted, turned, flipped and glided through the ninjas, death meeting every one of them at the end of her beautiful weapon. It fit her perfectly, Logan noted.

A flash of movement and sound came from Wolverine's side and he released Elektra to flay the oncoming trio of ninjas, Elektra turning to do the same on her side, her sais, flashing faster than the eye could follow.

With the Japanese men dead, Logan turned back to the statuesque Greek woman, keeping one eye on Jai the whole time, but she hardly needed his help.

"What the hell are you playing at, Elektra?"

"I play at nothing, Wolverine. This is anything but a game."

"Coulda fooled me. I know when I'm being used as a pawn and I have that damned feeling now. I _hate_ that feeling," he snarled, his claws refusing to be sheathed.

"I promise you, you are not _my_ pawn."

"No, I guess not. I would be the Gorgon's fucking pawn, wouldn't I? Guess it's a small step up from being one of his goddamned statues--I already thanked you for that one, Natchios."

Logan looked up at the the woman who had saved his life almost a year ago, the woman who had raised him from the dead when the Gorgon's lethal stare had temporarily frozen Wolverine in a state of death even his healing factor couldn't counter. And around the same time, Jai had witnessed his plight.

"What about Jai? Who's pawn is she? Yours?"

"It's not the term I would use," she admitted reluctantly.

"But you _are _using her," Wolverine confirmed. "You talked Fury into extracting her. _Why?"_

"Because she slipped out of my reach momentarily and I couldn't get to her without revealing myself."

They watched as Jai swung her foot up into a ninjas face knocking him down to the deck, and he crawled up to his knees only to find decapitation at the edge of her katana.

"To the Gorgon?" Wolverine asked.

"Yes."

"What did you do to Jai, Elektra?"

"I...gave her a doorway back to herself. I helped her."

"Through more brainwashing?" he growled, his ire on the rise. In Wolverine's world, brainwashing was _never_ the answer. It was a violation pure and simple.

"It's a delicate dance, Logan. The only way to begin freeing her was to use the Gorgon's own methods to hide it from him and to protect her."

"You sent the message on the computer tonight," Wolverine stated, sure of the truth he spoke. "You're what's behind the mind blocks."

Elektra looked down at him, green eyes light with a soft empathy.

"I'm only a _fraction_ of what's behind the mind blocks. I'm very, very good; I believe the Gorgon has no idea I got to his prize assassin before Fury extracted her. But he's very good too. And he hid Jai within herself so completely I couldn't reach her."

Jai's fight drew closer to their ledge; she slashed through one ninja so viciously a spurt of blood flew across the air and landed across Logan and Elektra like ocean spray.

"I'm so very sure fucking with her brain even more helped _that _situation," Wolverine spat. "What's tonight suppose to prove, Elektra? That with a single phrase she can be pushed into mass murder?"

"She wants her vengeance, Logan. And it's very difficult to kill that which you are programmed to love. My brainwashing temporarily relieves her of that dilemma," Elektra said softly.

Neither of them bothered to wipe at the blood on their faces.

"So you can use her for your own ends."

"My ends are tied to _her _ends."

"Says you," he accused.

"I can _get_ to the Gorgon. I can _stop_ him."

"You want the Hand. Why are you after the same position the Skrulls set you up for?"

Jai let out a small grunt of pain as one of the numerous ninjas finally slipped passed her guard and delivered a sharp jab to her gut.

_"Damn!_" Elektra breathed out, vaulting over the railing and into the throng of violence, her sais cutting away the onslaught of ninjas converging on Jai. Wolverine leapt in right behind her, working his way in from the outside, effectively flanking the enemy, letting the beast within rise up with a howl, and picturing the Gorgon's stone-cold face on each hapless victim that stood between him and the women.

Logan came back to himself a little later, aware that his feet were having a difficult time finding a steady purchase on the deck. It was covered in blood, the liquid darkened to black in the night, fallen bodies all around them.

Elektra had a single ninja cornered, still armed, and showing no signs of retreat or surrender.

Jai stood to the side, breathing hard and glassy eyed, all her weapons missing, and only a katana in her hand, a saya slung over her back.

"_You _I will allow to live," Elektra was saying.

Wolverine slowly circled around to the back, in case the ninja decided to bolt before Elektra was finished with him. Jai picked up on his movements and took the opposite side, glaring at the Hand minion the whole time.

"_You _will go to him and tell him what was done here. Tell him what I am doing. Tell him that _I am coming for him_ and no one and nothing is safe. _I am Elektra Natchios. Not even--"_

Jai lunged from behind, taking advantage of the fact that the Ninja's sole focus was understandably and rightly focused on the Greek woman in front of him. Her katana sliced through his back, severing his spine, and shot through his chest in a millisecond, his death coming instantly.

"_Not even the stars are safe in the sky,"_ Jai finished, her face a pure, unadulterated mask of hate.

Jai pulled her katana free, letting the body fall to the deck to join his brethren.

Elektra and Wolverine stared at the girl.

Jai returned their stare calmly, her eyes bright.

Finally, Elektra frowned.

"That's not exactly what I had intended to do with him."

Wolverine glanced between the two women then gave the taller Ninja a self-satisfied smirk.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say maybe you did too good a job with her, Elektra."

**Author's Note: So, the quote "I am Elektra Natchios. Not even the stars are safe in the sky." comes from the last Elektra miniseries. It was TOTALLY badass. And that line gave me shivers. I already had the idea for this story, but that one line really helped me develop it more thoroughly and I loved the idea of using that specific line as a trigger phrase, because Elektra is badass like that and can do all sorts of badass ninja things with it.**

**THIRTEEN chapters before I got to use it! Phew.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chap!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm finally back:) Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas/Hanukka/ etc.!! And now a happy New Year!**

"Get DOWN!" Wolverine shouted, instinctively throwing himself over Jai and knocking her to the deck, his bulk protectively covering her.

The staccato beat of chopper blades grew louder as it approached in the night and opened up gunfire on the Japanese freighter. Logan grabbed Jai and pulled her behind better cover, Elketra already ducking behind it, cool green eyes glaring upward.

"What the hell is _going on_?" Jai asked, struggling within Wolverine's grasp, her face a mask of shock.

Wolverine grabbed the back of her neck with his powerful hand, forcing her head down.

"We're bein' shot at--stay the hell outta the way!"

She had just proven that he didn't need to worry about her against a swarm of angry ninjas--bullets, however, were an entirely different matter. Wolverine watched as the green-clad men in the chopper picked off the remainder of the Ninja invasion throughout the ship with _no_ regard for the fact they were here and, strictly speaking, on the same side.

"What is Hydra doing here?" Elektra shouted over the gunfire.

"Viper's jumped the gun!" Wolverine replied as Jai struggled against his hold again, turning to look at the woman next to her.

"Oh _my God_! I _know _you!" Jai accused, throwing Logan off and grasping at Elektra so that the older woman turned to face her, knowing green eyes meeting incredulous brown.

"Yes," Elektra acknowledged. "You do."

"Who are you? Why do I know you?!" Jai asked, becoming extremely exhausted by the tumult of half-memories rising up within her brain and giving her more questions than answers. Her hands itched with the irritation.

"I am Elektra Natchios. And I gave you a way to fight against the Hand from within."

"The stars in the sky," Jai whispered the trigger phrase, flashes of the last several moments coming back to her in a rush. The message on the computer, the room with her katana, the warning, fighting her way through the Hand, her sense of completion and freedom increasing with _every_ katana slice that resulted in death.

"Saying that simple phrase will help you whenever you need it."

Jai narrowed her eyes at the woman while Wolverine pressed her down again as she was totally oblivious to the rain of bullets.

"You programmed it into my brain," Jai accused.

Elektra didn't even blink.

"I do what is necessary. Nothing more, nothing less. Would you rather have remained under the Gorgon's thumb? Remained his prize possession?"

Jai frowned, as a new piece of information fell into place.

"I was his _prize_?"

Elektra tilted her head.

"You didn't know?"

Jai felt her stomach tighten as the Gorgon's face flitted through her brain, a possessive evil light in his eyes, an over-satisfied quirk to his cold mouth, powerful hands directing her movements as he taught her step after step, blow after blow, every technique available until they were ingrained in every muscle, every movement, effectively leaving his mark on her for eternity.

She shuddered.

"Why me? Why even _pick me_ in the first place?"

A shadow fell over Elektra's face.

"That, I do not know."

"You don't know who I really am," Jai confirmed.

Elektra shook her head.

Logan pulled Jai back into his arms as the chopper came around for another pass, bullets flying far too close to her vulnerable skull, only half focusing on the women's exchange.

_Up ta me ta be the voice of reason, _Wolverine thought with exasperation.

"This isn't the best place for conversation! _Move_!"

Wolverine waited for an opening in the gun-spray, then pulled Jai towards the edge of the ship, liking their chances in the water far better than onboard. He used himself as a human shield to safeguard her--his healing factor able to take the stray bullets that flew their direction. Elektra didn't need to be told twice, she lunged for the opposite side, diving over the edge and out of sight.

Wolverine gripped the railing, preparing to lunge over the edge when he heard a blast erupt from behind. Both Jai and Logan turned towards the deafening sound on reflex, realizing belatedly that the few nano-seconds it took to turn around were wrongly spent. The wave of fire and debris came at them like an overwhelming force, the shock wave of super-heated air knocking them over the side back first, huge chunks of fiery ship following in their wake.

They hit hard, the force of the water steeling the air from Jai just before she sunk beneath the surface. Her body reacted before her brain could kick in, sucking water into her vacant lungs and she immediately panicked, flailing through the water in an effort to find both the surface and oxygen. After several seconds that dragged on for a small slice of forever, she managed to pull herself upwards, breaking the surface. She coughed up a lung-full of liquid grossness, struggling to keep her muscles pumping back and forth in a treading motion long enough to suck in pure air before the darkness on the periphery of her vision closed in permanently.

Another explosion rocked through the ship as it loomed over Jai, raining down burning debris, and lighting up the oil that had leaked out of it's hull and spread through the poisonous water, surrounding Jai in a small, hellish lake of fire.

"Oh, God..." she moaned, still sputtering and coughing.

Her small circle of water without floating oil was growing smaller and the only way out was under. She gasped in several breaths, upset to find that it was more toxic smoke then air, then dove down under the surface, under the fire, hoping against hope, that her lungful would last as long as was needed. She kicked and stroked her arms through the water as fast as she could manage, the burn in her muscles matching the burn in her chest, as her lungs ached for air that was unavailable to her.

The fire above lit up the watery underneath with an eery other-earthly glow as Jai swam through the bits of sinking debris, never knowing when more would plummet into the water and possibly hit her, saving her from the need to swim for her life. She kept glancing ahead, and up, ahead, and up. Ahead, to avoid a piece of hull, a cargo crate, up for the inevitable darkness that would mean lack of fire and the promise of air.

Just when Jai felt her strength and resolution start to fail, she spied the darkness that equaled hope. Just a few more kicks, swimming around a barrel of which she desperately hoped wasn't filled with acid, and she could break through the surface.

He caught her eye just as she popped her head up, desperately sucking in air.

His mask burned away, his face black and blistered as he slowly, but surely, sunk to the bottom and towards the more terrifying darkness beneath, so far down, that the light couldn't reach it's depths.

"LOGAN!" Jai sucked in air, then dove back down, knowing that she had little chance of reaching him and not nearly enough strength to pull all three hundred pounds of him to safety. He would disappear into the sea, breathing in water that his healing factor couldn't magically turn into oxygen.

He would die.

She swam towards him, heedless of her chances, desperate to try.

He jerked as she drew closer, his healing factor trying to compensate for wounds, his body reflexively inhaling the water.

_Nononononoooo--_Jai grasped for him, hand closing over the fabric of his uniform and pulled to no avail.

A reverberating dull _thud _echoed through the water and Jai glanced up just in time to swim out of the way as a piece of rigging dived through the depths, dangerously close to taking them both out. Jai's eyes widened as she spied a glimmer of hope trailing behind the rigging, her eyes stinging from the toxic water, still lit up with the fire above. The suction of the sinking rigging worked in her favor as she pulled Wolverine towards the line of steel cable, it's frayed end delicately holding it to the sinking piece of ship.

With Wolverine still in her one hand, Jai grasped at the cable and _pulled _as the debris threatened to drag her down. Just when she thought her plan was diving right down to the bottom, the cable pulled free in her hand, plenty of slack coming with it. Jai's lungs burned intensely with the need for air as she tied the cable around Logan's arm as tight as she could and she swam topside with the length of cable tying her to Logan like a lifeline.

She knew too much time had passed; she knew a normal human being would be beyond saving.

She was betting on his mutation.

Jai came up for air just as she thought she'd faint from the lack, seeing stars in her eyes that erupted into different colors, more like fireworks than heavenly orbs. She knew she only had seconds before Logan's weight dragged on the cable and pulled it down and beyond her reach, taking her with it if she refused to let go.

She needed an anchor, or rather the opposite of one, a piece of debris or something that was stronger than her and still afloat, something she could use to jury-rig the cable into a sort of pulley.

All she saw around her was fire and bits of debris that were all smaller than her.

"Goddamnit! _NO!"_

There was nothing. It was useless.

The cable grew taught in her hand and Jai blinked away tears of desperation, her eyes still stinging from the chemicals they had been exposed to. She held on tightly, the steel cutting into her palms as it slipped right through her small hands.

"No!"

A dull thrum came from behind.

"Lady Jai?"

She turned as she felt the end of the cable start to slip through her hands.

Tyger Tiger had sent a rescue.

"_Jump in!" _she ordered.

There were enough men on the speedboat to pull Wolverine to safety.

"Grab my hand!" one of the men called out.

Jai glared as they didn't listen to her and sucked a breath in, preparing to slip underneath the water yet again. The cable yanked her down, pulling at her sliced and bleeding hands, Wolverine sinking at the other end.

Time slowed to a near stand still as Jai slipped through the water. A single man dived in after her, wrapped his arms around her middle and under her arms and pulled Jai upward. Jai held fast to the cable and the single man made no progress in his endeavor. Then another man dove in and another and another and Jai hand-signaled that what she was trying to save was tied to the cable and made clear in no uncertain terms that she _was not leaving without him._

They pulled on the cable with her help, and eventually Jai found herself moving upwards instead of down and then they'd broken the surface and then Jai felt herself dragged aboard as Tyger's men hauled at the cable, finally pulling Wolverine out of the water and to safety.

"Let's go!" one man shouted up to the driver and the engine purred to life as the speedboat zipped through the fire and debris.

Jai coughed and sputtered and crawled towards the short feral's motionless form as Tyger's men laid him out, checking for a pulse or any sign of life, and when finding none, declaring him dead.

"No, no, he's not, he might still be able to heal!" she insisted, pulling his mask away from his still-burned face. Burns that were refusing to heal.

Jai placed both hands on his chest and compressed, but there was no give due to his adamanium rib-cage, the metal that typically protected his lungs preventing her from forcing the water out.

"Damn it!"

Left with no recourse, Jai plugged his nose with one hand and pulled his jaw down with the other, clamping her mouth over his and forcing her breath into his water-logged, much abused lungs.

_Just a little, just enough,_ Jai repeated in her head over and over again.

Just enough air to jump start his healing factor. Just enough to make his body realize he had something to work with.

She sucked in air, blew it into his mouth, sucked in air, forced it into his lungs, forced him to breath.

Tyger's men stood back, watching her work, doubt etched on their faces as she breathed for the Wolverine, none daring to be the first to try to stop her.

She grew dizzy with the effort, her whole body aching with the strain of not being able to breath for herself with ease ever since she got blasted off the ship and into the water. Vaguely, a part of her wondered if Elektra survived when it looked like the near-invincible Wolverine would not.

Just as this thought flitted through her mind, Logan coughed up water into her mouth and Jai turned and spat it out as Tyger's men came to her side, helping her roll Wolverine as he hacked up more water than she thought was possible.

He coughed until his throat was dry and then continued to cough, curling into the fetal position on his side and moaning.

"Logan! Logan, can you hear me?"

She shook him, but he was unresponsive.

She reached for his neck, feeling the soft beat of his pulse sluggishly pumping blood through his body and it was the last thing she was aware of as the darkness closed over her and her body succumbed to exhaustion.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry this is so short--Next piece will follow soon though!**

**Thanks oh so much for all the reviews so far!!**

Daisy ran down the hall of the helicarrier, keenly aware that her short hair was dripping water down her back underneath her uniform and that she wasn't wearing any socks inside her white SHIELD boots.

_Gross. Grossgrossgross. _

Her bare feet _squelched _and Daisy mentally reprimanded herself for thinking the evening would be hers. On the helicarrier, the evening was never hers. At her apartment it usually wasn't either, though, so this at least saved her a commute.

She wrinkled her nose in irritation, took a breath to run her hand through her damp hair, then punched the door release and smartly entered the Colonel's office.

He shot her a look that said _Took you long enough,_ and Daisy took a seat next to Dum Dum Dugan and other SHIELD officials as Nick started the briefing and Daisy's ire rose with every bullet point as she realized the majority of this had been in the Secret Warriors report she'd scanned before taking advantage of the helicarriers unlimited hot water supply. For the next forty-five minutes.

Eventually Nick wound the meeting down with Daisy glaring at him for the duration and ushered the rest of the SHIELD advisors out, signaling that Daisy and Dugan should linger.

"Couldn't you have called me up after the meeting, Nick?"

"Technically I called you to come up _before_ the meeting. You were just late."

"Oh."

"Enjoy your shower?"

She rubbed at her chin and gave him an embarrassed smile, running her hand through what she knew had to be crazed-out hair that was in desperate need of some styling gel. 

"So, what's up?"

"Elektra checked in."

Daisy's eyebrows shot up at this piece of information and a thrill ran down her spine. Dugan on the other hand, held fast to his stock glower.

"_And?"_

"It's mostly bad news. But useful."

He paused, his one eye dark and uneasy.

"The Gorgon's in charge. He's back and he'd running the Hand."

Dugan and Daisy traded a dire look.

"We verifying that?" Dugan asked.

"Trying to. Still haven't heard from Wolverine or Jai. Or Tyger for that matter."

"Well that's just freaking great," Daisy said.

"This _is_ the Gorgon," Dugan pointed out. "How long before we suspect them to be dead instead of just MIA?"

"Not nearly as long as I'd like. But chances are damn good he's in Tokyo for now instead of personally leading the advance against Madripoor."

"What else did Elektra have to say?"

"That she has a proposition for us. Help her take over the Hand with any people and resources she needs to get the job done. And she'll hand the Gorgon over to us gift-wrapped."

"That's a pretty large promise on her part," Dugan stated doubtfully.

"It's better than anything else on the table," Daisy pointed out.

"We can't afford to let this asshole stay in power. And the fact that Elektra's already working against him is a huge advantage, but _Wolverine missing_--"

"Makes us all want to shit our pants?" Dugan asked, remembering all to well how horribly events played out the last time the Gorgon had power and Wolverine was vulnerable.

"Just how much do you think we can trust Elektra on this?" Daisy asked.

"I think we can trust her to go for what she wants, but not necessarily do us any favors. And what she wants is a hell of a lot better than what _is_."

"The devil you know, Nick?"

"Yeah, kid. Elektra's _my kind of devil._"

"What about Jai?" Daisy asked. "Do we know if any of her mind blocks have been resolved? Or did all the new information just come from Elektra?"

"From Elektra. But she _deigned_ to inform me that the reason she wanted Jai extracted is because she wants Jai to help her take down the Gorgon. Personally."

Nick's lip curled in paramount irritation at Elektra's coyness. He hated not being the one to run the show, but had no choice on this particular matter. Norman Osborn had completely fucked them all over, leaving his organization in the poorest condition it had ever been in and they were still playing catch up.

_I swear to God I'm going to repay Osborn for this,_ he vowed silently.

"What do you want to do about just waiting around on Natchios?" Dugan asked with a sly smile, knowing his long time friend better than most.

"I want you to take an entire helicarrier to Japan and be ready to rain down a goddamn natural disaster. Keep it just out of their range and send as many preliminary ground troops in as possible."

Dugan nodded with satisfaction and Daisy stared.

"So, what, we're going to go to war with an entire country just because of their criminal organization? Are you even going to talk to their government?"

"Right now, Daisy, I'm fairly fucking certain the Hand _is_ their government. The Gorgan's too damned good at infiltration. And we might only get one shot at this. Raise the Secret Warriors. It's field trip time again."

She nodded, still slightly shocked.

"Dismissed."

****

Jai walked through the dark halls of the _Burning Star_ so quietly she didn't hear the slight echo of her own footsteps. She walked so effortlessly she practically floated, weightless and gentle. Through the halls and through the cargo hold that housed the barrels of deadly acid, the stone collection of death, every last statue a dark and dangerous emulation of the Wolverine. Face after face of a stone dead Wolverine.

He had drowned, his stone weight sinking right to the bottom and impossible to lift upwards to safety.

Jai turned, not wanting to stare into his dead face only to see him behind her, to the side of her, to the front. He was everywhere. Everywhere and dead.

Jai floated away from the stone collection, desperate to leave it behind in the dark but he seemed to trail after her until she found a single door in the dark hallways in the bowels of the ship and she was able to pull it open and shut it behind her, effectively keeping him away.

Fear and warning pricked all along her back and Jai gripped the door handle, refusing to turn and face what stood behind her in the Japanese sanctuary. Even the collection of dead and haunting Wolverines would be preferable.

She pulled as the door desperately, shaking and beating on it, but it was stubbornly unmovable.

"Logan! Logan, help me!"

She tensed, yearning for Adamantium claws to rip through the wooden door and liberate her, instinctively knowing that the collection of stone Wolverines would go to any length to protect her, but she had shut them all out and damned herself in the process.

"No....!"

She was alone. Utterly alone.

"No, Jai. You are not alone. _I _ am with you."

Jai let out a fearful sob, knowing if she turned around she would find acceptance and company in her master.

"I don't _want_ you anymore," she affirmed, desperate for it to be true.

Knowing that he still had an impossible sway over her.

A large cold hand gripped her shoulder from behind, ran down her arm until it closed over her hand, prying her small fingers open, and forcing her to release her hold on the doorknob. He embraced her, pressing his chest along the length of her back, a warm sensation overcoming her entire body. Brushed her her hair away from her ear and neck as he leaned in against her.

"You will always want to be with me."

"_NO!"_

He forcibly turned her to face him, to stare into his cold dead eyes, his red suit and long hair a beautiful and odd juxtaposition to such an ugly soul underneath.

"You are mine forever, Jai."

His white eyes _glowed_ and Jai felt the panic erupt within her even as her limbs froze. Stone ate away at her flesh like a disease solidifying her in place with finality.

He reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from her face before it was caught in stony eternity then stepped back from her statuesque figure.

"Mine forever," he smiled evilly, the light in his eyes growing even brighter.

Imprisoned in her frozen body, Jai could only watch as the Gorgon stepped aside to reveal the scene behind him. Two girls, one clearly a Hand ninja wrapped up in all black, her figure small, but young and lithe, deadly weapons in her hands, and the other was dressed in a traditional Japanese school uniform and tied to a chair, gagged and crying, desperately afraid.

Jai watched in horror as all movements became painfully slow and deliberate, each image, each moment, lasting for several drawn out breaths. The school girl's tears rolled down her young cheeks with an inevitable downward momentum, and dropped off her small, pointed chin. Her eyes pleaded for release, the gag in her mouth hindering her cries for help and hope, allowing her only soft, broken whimpers.

The ninja girl turned to look Jai straight on, her sapphire-blue Asian eyes glowing like stars in the sky, alive and fiery, the rest of her features hidden behind black cloth. The Gorgon stepped up to his ninja, taking her small covered face in his pale, cold hands, bright-white eyes boring into hers until all light left the sapphire orbs, leaving them vacant and dead.

_No! Nononono--NO!_ Jai tried to call out, tried to even draw in breath to do so, but it was hopeless. She was stone dead and helpless.

_Don't give in to him!_ she urged silently. _You'll lose yourself forever, it's what he wants!_

Her mute cries went unheard.

The ninja girl narrowed her blue eyes and deliberately raised her katana until it was level with the school girl's tear-drenched cheek, and nicked the soft skin till blood ran down with the tears, the girl letting out a wail of renewed fright.

_Don't kill her! Don't kill her! _Jai urged silently, knowing that somehow, inexplicably, her fate was tied to the blue-eyed Ninja's actions, knew the next few seconds were utterly and completely crucial.

The girl hesitated, confusion clouding her eyes. She turned to the Gorgon with her star-bright eyes, questioning, unsure.

The Gorgon's stare grew as bright as the sun and painful and Jai wanted to turn away, but was incapable in her suspended state. The blinding light went on for an eternity, searing deep into her soul until it owned her.

The damage was done.

There was no turning back, no reclaiming herself.

The blue-eyed girl's voice came to Jai from far away, achingly familiar.

The words made her cringe, made her shudder and despair.

"Yes, _Master_."

The light left her eyes again, the sapphire orbs becoming dead, blank, glassy and spark-less.

The katana swung home, sure and true, biting through flesh as if it were no more than air, the schoolgirl's gagged scream effortlessly cut short as her neck was severed.

The girl's head fell to the floor and rolled away, tears and blood staining her horrified cheeks. Her body jerked and shuddered, spouting one last spray of blood, then went still.

The ninja turned to face Jai, almost casually, as if she hadn't just committed her first act of murder, removing her face covering as she moved. The Gorgon sidled up behind her like a snake, satisfied, evil, and triumphant. Jai stared at the girl as gut-wrenching familiarity ripped through her, the face so like her own, yet subtlety different, the dead blue eyes holding memories of her lost past in their cobalt depths.

It was a mirror, she knew. She was staring at herself, staring at the monster the Gorgon had made out of her. Her Master lifted his scarlet-gloved hand until it hovered just above the blue-eyed girl's head and brought it down in a tantalizingly slow sweeping motion, inches away from the girl's face. Jai watched in shock and horror as features shifted slightly, eyebrows here, cheekbones there, lips made slightly thinner, blue eyes traded for _brown_.

She screamed, cried out, _wailed_ with the fierce need to be heard through the barrier of her stone prison, willing her voice to break through.

_"NOO! NO! NononoNOOOOOO!"_

Impossibly strong and powerful hands gripped her out of nowhere and Jai found that she was suddenly granted movement and fought against the grip trying to hold her down, vaguely aware that someone was shrieking in torment, only to find that her own throat was dry and _raw_ with pain.

Then, Jai's world collapsed in around her.


	16. Chapter 16

**See? Told you it wouldn't be a long wait! I know, I know, the last chapter was terribly evil....this is me not apologizing;)**

**Once again, thank you for all the reviews and support; I love to hear your response and I'm excited for what everyone will think of the following chapter.**

"JAI! _JAI!_ Wake up--it's a _nightmare_!"

Wolverine. Alive and flesh. Not dead, not drowned, not stone. Wolverine.

She jerked to a halt abruptly, stilling her panicked flailing, her eyes popping open to reality, to Logan's concerned face, his stormy grey-blue eyes staring deeper into her than even the Gorgon's seemed to.

"Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god--" She moaned, her body going limp in Logan's arms. He instinctively pulled her into his chest, thick arms wrapping around her.

"_He stole my face--! He took it--he took everything!_ I'm a m-m-monster. I murdered that girl without even blinking, I _killed_ her, cut her head off, and he just _smiled_ and then he took e-e-everthing away from me!"

Sobs wracked through her small frame, shuddering and agonizing all at once, and Logan held her tighter as she cried into his chest, her desperation growing even as she felt the door in her memory softly closing and fading away like a dream.

"Nononooo--" She didn't want to lose herself again.

"Shh, Jai, shh. He can't hurt you anymore--_I promise._" Wolverine's voice vibrated deep in his diaphram as he growled out the words, hoping it was a promise he could keep. Knowing his track record on the Gorgon was shit.

Jai shut her eyes tight, _willing_ herself to remember the girl she saw, the blue eyes, the delicate, slightly changed features, the fuller lips, but they faded into shadow and dark, slipping back behind locked doors in her brain. Slipping back behind the mind blocks where she couldn't reach them no matter how hard she tried.

In the end, she was left with only a change of eye color.

She _ached_ with loneliness and loss.

Wolverine gripped her tight against him so hard he almost forced the breath from her lungs and she clung to him desperately in return, listening to the lilting baritone of his voice, edged with a growl, crying herself out with great shuddering gasps.

Slowly, Jai came back to herself, focusing on the small details that didn't match up with her last memory of consciousness. She still wore her drenched black ninja gear, her wet hair slowly drying in salty clumps and dripping onto the the luxurious white sofa cushions supporting her exhausted weight.

Her cheek rested against soft chest hair, which she found to be slightly damp, but delightfully clean and wonderfully warm. Logan was using his own considerable strength to hold her against him and Jai blushed, realizing the only piece of clothing he currently possessed was a towel.

"Um..."

He took a step back, realizing her reaction to him, and Jai blinked, taking in her surroundings.

"How long have I been out?"

"Long enough for me to wake up and smell myself. That water's stench is somethin' else."

He smiled sardonically and she gave him a small smirk.

"That your way of tellin' me I stink?"

"I would never say that about a lady," he insisted.

"Especially a lady who just saved your life."

His face darkened, his gaze boring into her.

"Jai--it's not too often I get as close ta death as that. Thank you."

She ducked her head, uncomfortable with his gratitude, with the intent look on his face, and with the fact that he was _still only in a towel._

"Don't mention it."

Logan opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, but Jai pushed herself up off the couch, asking "Any hot water left?"

"Course. I'd be a bastard if didn't leave any for the girl who pulled my ass out of the fire. Or the water. Whatever."

Wolverine disappeared into the bathroom for a few seconds and stalked back out, having traded his towel in for blue jeans. Jai fleetingly wondered if he had bothered to put on any underwear beforehand.

"One of these days," he continued, "I'm gonna learn to just walk away when water's involved."

"Or you're gonna die." Jai responded levelly

"Yeah, well. Nice to know ya care. How's if feel to have an emotional entanglement on your hands? Or did ya just feel obligated?"

Logan's voice was partly wry, partly serious and he wasn't entirely sure why he was pressing the issue. She had just saved his life and they had both been through the wringer. _And_ she had just had a minor emotional breakdown. But something about the way she desperately clung to him just moments before spoke of a loneliness that he was all to familiar with and tugged at heartstrings he otherwise kept hidden.

Jai, however, one-upped him by deflecting with humorous aplomb.

"Are you kidding? I did it for the glory. I'm the chick who saved the Wolverine's hairy ass. Don't I get a badass award or something?"

She winked and his mouth twitched in response.

"You're a brat."

She rolled her eyes and made for the shower, picking at her ruined, stinking uniform, keenly aware she didn't like smelling as bad as she did while around him.

"Tyger wants us staying in this room until she smooths things over," Wolverine explained as he headed for the phone. "I think she's afraid we'll blow something else up."

"_That_ was not us. That was Viper and Hydra." Jai frowned.

"Yeah, but with a little luck, the Hand might think we're both dead, so it's best to just lie low for now. I'm gonna order up some food while you're showering."

"M'kay."

Jai shut the door behind her, finding that the bathroom was still humid from the previous use. She started to strip, her mind fixating on haunting blue eyes that were alternating between star-bright and feminine and Wolverine's brooding, stormy blue orbs when he mentioned the phrase "emotional entanglements".

_Entanglement my ass. More like an emotional clusterfuck._

Her hands itched as she remembered her desperation in the watery depths as Logan sank beyond her reach, remembered her driving need to save him at all costs or go down with him. Pain flared suddenly in her hands and Jai glanced down, realizing that her palms were sliced from the cable and the wounds had reopened, sluggishly bleeding and aching all the way up to her elbows.

"Damn it!"

Her abused hands started to cramp up as she worked at the jump suit style uniform that was only half-off and doubly hard to remove due to water and grime and oil.

She bit her lip in pain and frustration, taking a break to turn on the faucet and run cold water over her cuts, making them sting like hellfire and bringing tears to her eyes. They weren't deep enough to need anything more serious than a few stitches on the particularly deep areas and there was no way she could utilize them to adequately wash herself much less hold her katana accurately.

A panic rose up within Jai as realization of her handicap washed over her.

"Goddamnit!" she ground out through clenched teeth and two tears spilled down her cheeks.

Logan lightly knocked on the door.

"Jai?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and blew out a breath.

"Yeah?"

"Let me in."

He didn't even bother to ask what was wrong; he could simply smell her blood and pain.

Jai took stock of her situation. She was half naked down to the waste, as she didn't bother with a bra earlier in the evening since the dress she had worn to the party was too revealing. And it all needed to come off anyway. That was only the first part of her dilemma.

"It's my hands," she explained. "And...it's not locked."

He gently opened the door and Jai looked away, thinking it would be pointless to try and cover herself as Wolverine was probably going to have to help her undress the rest of the way regardless.

"Let me see." His gruff voice was impossibly gentle and it made Jai want to cry all over again.

She obliged, holding her palms up.

"Yeah, darlin', you did a number on 'em. What did it?"

"The steel cable I used to save you."

"Shit." Guilt clouded his face. "Sorry."

She shook her head at his apology.

"It's not that bad. I just need a few stitches."

"Yeah. I can field dress it for you no problem."

She sniffed, looking down at her injuries and refusing to look up at him in her vulnerable state.

"I won't be able to hold a katana," she whispered.

He reached one large, calloused hand out, tucked it under her chin, and lifted her head up to face him. Her stomach flipped and she was suddenly less aware of the pain in her hands.

"They'll be better before you know it. And I'll be damned if you're not capable of fighting without your hands."

"_Of course _I'm capable. But--"

"I know," he cut her off wanting, to refocus her attention. "So...dress it first? Or do you want a shower?"

_Honesty,_ Jai thought, even though it made her squirm. _He can smell a lie._

"I want _to be clean,"_ she pleaded.

"Okay, partner." He almost choked on the gender-neutral term, thinking he'd give himself a headache trying so hard to not stare at her bare breasts, and not wanting to think of what helping her wash might to do his brain. Or other body parts.

But he was, at the very least, capable of _pretending_ to be a gentleman.

And he was certainly capable of being professional.

Although, he'd be the first to admit to numerous similar "professional" occasions turning very sexual very fast. But Jai was younger, and a victim of brainwashing and emotional abuse who had an uncanny notion in her head that he was the one recognizable person in her life for no apparent reason.

This was not the time to take advantage of her attraction to him.

This was the time to man-up and help the woman who just saved his sorry ass.

He cleared his throat and she blushed and glared.

"This is just going to be supremely awkward, isn't it?" She asked, grabbing the conversational bull by the horns.

"It'll be fine," he lied, moving towards the shower to turn the hot water on, before facing undressing her.

He reached for the first aid kit under the sink, haphazardly wrapping gauze around her hands to stop the bleeding, and pulling them skyward.

"Elevate," her ordered gruffly.

She obliged, keeping them well above her heart, leaving her without any possible way to cover her ample chest, and Logan consciously stepped to her side, so as to not overly tempt his view. Jai smiled wryly as she watched him.

"What?" he asked under his breath, hesitating before reaching for her clothing.

"It just...what else is there to do but laugh at this point? _Gawd._" She shook her head again for emphasis.

_There's _plenty_ to do at this point, _he thought darkly while assessing her battle duds. _But none of it would be right._

"It's like removing a wetsuit, Logan. Not at all easy."

He glared at it like he would an enemy.

"Think you'll ever use it again?"

"Gross. No."

_Snikt._

"Don't move."

She caught her breath as he smartly sliced all down one leg, then peeled back the rubbery, stubborn, body armor before moving onto the next and had her bare to the world--or at least to him--in short order.

"Huh. You're good at that."

He kept his eyes on her face. Her brown eyes held a spark and he felt an insane urge to run his thumb across her soft lips.

"Practice."

She bit her lip as the intensity in his eyes grew and she suddenly wished he had found time to don a shirt so at least one of them was fully dressed.

"How's the water?" he asked.

Jai started to reach a bandaged hand out to the stream, rethought her actions, and with some careful balancing, stuck her toes under the water instead.

"Yeah, that's a little too hot."

Jai frowned, realizing that could have been a really, really bad pun.

Logan adjusted the temperature, then flipped the switch so the spray came out of the shower head and gestured for Jai to proceed him into the shower like he was gentlemanly ushering her through a doorway before stepping in behind her.

"You're going to get your jeans wet." She turned her head slightly so she could glimpse him just behind her.

He glared, his eyes focused lower than was polite.

"Trust me when I say, it's prudent that I leave them on."

Jai swallowed in surprise, concentrating on the hot spray hitting her chest and running all the way down her length, rinsing away the disgustingness of the Madripoor Sea.

It felt beyond wonderful, the heat and pressure were an utter delight and--

All she could _really_ concentrate on was the man standing just behind her and what he had just said.

"So, um--" Jai glanced behind her again only to see Logan sticking his head out of the shower like he was desperately reaching for some unknown item. "Logan?"

"Washcloth," he explained, popping back in, a saffron colored square of cloth looking way too small in his large hand.

He grabbed the bar of soap out of the dish, reached around her to wet them both in the spray, then soaped up the cloth with a quiet determination like it was the most important action he'd undertaken in years.

Jai held her hands up to save them from getting wet, giving Logan full access with the same motion.

He started with her back, the largest safe-zone immediately available to him. His strength behind the movement was like a massage to her sore and aching muscles and Jai couldn't help but let out a small moan of relief and leaned back into his ministrations.

_Yeah. This is hell, _Wolverine thought. _I'm in hell._

He worked his way down, trying desperately to be thorough and quick at the same time, all the while wincing as his jeans--the last line of his defense--grew inevitably tighter.

"Turn," he ordered gruffly wishing like hell this wasn't the next step in the process.

She obliged, an oddly curious expression on her delicate features.

Logan focused on her face like his life depended on it.

"So I was thinking--" Jai started.

"Yeah?"

_Focus on her voice, _he thought. _Her words._

"It's not just me. This...attraction."

Jai didn't know what possessed her--it was almost as if being naked in front of him left her with no secrets and any daring topic of discussion was on the market. And there was something wonderfully satisfying about his obvious desire, his shaky control, his gruff attempt to maintain propriety.

_Okay, maybe that was a flamin' mistake, _he thought as he realized where she was taking the thread of conversation.

Jai took a step forward--just a small one--and found that she could taste Logan's breath in her mouth, all minty and masculine and wonderful as he exhaled in tensed surprise.

"Look, Jai--"

She leaned in further, and just when Logan was thinking, _God help me, I can't stop if she kisses me_, she veered to the side so that her lips just brushed his ear.

"I really thought it was just me," she whispered.

He squeezed his eyes shut and his fist reflexively gripped down on the washcloth as her breath tickled his ear.

"It was never just you, Jai. But--I can't do this to you. I'm the last thing you need when you're putting your life back together."

She laid a delicate kiss on his neck, just under is earlobe.

"What, you think you're the expert on putting a life back together?"

Trailed kisses down his neck, and rested her bandaged hands on his shoulders.

"I'm beggin' ya, Jai. Don't do this."

Wolverine gripped her small hips hard enough to bruise in an effort to keep them from wondering all over her naked body. Jai winced at the pain even as a thrill of desire shot through her at the reserved power within him.

Jai pulled back at his request, looking into his tortured expression for broken resolve.

"Would you really feel so guilty?"

"I'd be takin' advantage and--"

"What a _lame_ older guy response." Jai whispered emphatically. "And I thought you were the champion of emotional entanglements."

"Most the time I just talk outta my ass, darlin'," Logan back paddled. Tightened his grip on her hips.

"Like now? Logan? Do us both a favor and _shut up." _

Jai took the final step forward, finally allowing her body to pass the invisible barrier between them and press up against him, the rough, wet material of his jeans complimenting the soft hair on his chest and abdomen nicely. Her arms linked around his neck and her face tilted slightly upwards, half convinced he would push her away at any second.

However, Logan's resolve drained away at the soft, heated look in her eyes and he pulled her up against him hard, letting his mouth crash down onto hers with an urgency that surprised even him. Jai moaned as Logan coaxed her to open her mouth to him with his tongue and she ran her bandaged hands through his hair, yearning for a better hold, but her injuries hindered her progress.

Wolverine, however, had hands free to roam and he ran them up from her hips to her back, enjoying the soft, warm, wet feel to her skin as the musk of Jai's desire and the Jasmine soap filled the small humid space. He stroked his way back down to the small of her back, her firm ass, and down to her thighs where he exerted his grip, effortlessly lifting her up off the shower floor and pulling so that her legs parted obligingly, wrapping around his waist.

He pressed Jai up against the tile as she moaned into his mouth before tilting her head back in abandon, making her throat available to him. Logan held her small weight easily with one arm, losing himself utterly in her compelling scent, the enticing taste of her skin, in the small, urgent sounds he drove from her. He trailed his tongue down her neck and his free hand up the backside of her thigh until he reached her center, his fingers seeking expertly.

Jai cried out as this drew new and more intoxicating sensations from her core and Wolverine growled against her throat.

_I'm already going to hell,_ the sane corner of his brain figured. _Why not enjoy the ride there?_

He bit down on her soft flesh, feeling her pulse race against his tongue. The beast howled with ardor and approval inside his head and Logan knew the point of no return was too far behind him to find.

**Yeah...I just took it there. _Complicated......!!!!_**


	17. Chapter 17

**SO! Thank you to all my usual reviewers plus my occasional ones! Glad you all liked the last chapter (for the most part). And now for the aftermath.......!**

She sat on the oversized bed, propping herself up on one arm, the soft skin of her back exposed to him while staring out at the starscape. The dark jade sheets wrapped around her body, her shoulders tensed, her blue-black hair still damp and swept to one side, the other side of her neck livid with his love-bite. A memory popped into his brain, and he realized with mild shock that the particular memory seemed like forever ago and a part of him felt like he'd known her for years. Watching the dark silhouette of her figure against the night sky on the helicarrier days ago, he'd felt a strong sense of empathy for her.

Now, Logan couldn't begin to analyze the tumult of emotions roiling around inside him. Guilt was at the forefront.

_Every time you see me--_

_It's a shock. Like recognition. Or a ghost. Or...something._

He'd known it was complicated. He'd known there was a line he shouldn't cross even as he toed it, straddled it, and irrevocably stepped over it without a backward glance.

However, he'd never fucking dreamed it would be _this_ complicated and he could honestly say that this was the first time he'd found himself in this specific predicament.

He padded over to her, offering the warm mug in his hand.

"It's tea."

She accepted the cup with a small smile lightening the concerned shadows on her face, and she carefully handled the mug with her freshly bandaged hands.

Logan lithely crawled into the bed behind her, gently nudging until she relaxed her frame enough to lean back against his chest.

"Logan--I really, _really_ am sorry." Her voice was emphatic and desperate all at once and he winced in sympathy. "I honestly had no--I mean _no--_ idea!"

She wouldn't peel her eyes away from the stars to look at him.

"You said that already, darlin'. And, trust me, the look on your face said it all."

She dropped her head and groaned.

"I am _mortified._"

"Don't be," he insisted. "You have nothing to apologize for, nothing to be embarrassed about. It wasn't your fault."

She sipped her tea.

"Wasn't your fault either," Jai said quietly. "You had the whole guilt complex _before_ you knew I was a virgin. Now you look like you want to crawl out of your own skin it's so bad."

He tucked his face into the nape of her neck, brushing his nose against her bruised skin. Wolverine closed his eyes and breathed in her fresh scent, thinking that he was simply grateful he had maintained enough control to limit the shower to foreplay only while helping her bath. He didn't think he'd ever be able to forgive himself if he had taken her against the shower wall instead of in an actual bed. It was a minute but important distinction to him.

"_Shit._ Sorry."

"More apologies. Yay. This was a wonderful night." Her voice was deadpan.

Logan frowned.

"Actually...it was. Despite...the obvious hang-ups."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, Jai, darlin', I'm not. Not everyday I get to spend a great night in with a gal who'd dive down into uncertainty to save me."

At this, she tilted her head back to look at him over her shoulder, her lips softly curving, her eyes warming.

"You're actually very sweet, but you hide it well most of the time," she smiled at him and he leaned in for another kiss.

She relaxed into the kiss, a gentle, sweet-tasting sigh coming to her lips.

Jai turned back to stare out the window contemplatively.

"I really thought that it had just kinda happened before I got brainwashed into the whole assassin thing. Maybe past me was waiting for marriage or something. How weird would it be if I was little miss perfect before the whole ninja murderer period of my life?"

"You're not a murderer, Jai. There are distinct differences, trust me."

"Yeah, but I'm not stopping anytime soon either. I'm _still_ an assassin. I still make the conscious decision to kill people...well _mostly_ conscious. _Not even the stars are safe in the sky...._"

Her voice took on an edged chill as she spoke the trigger phrase and the soft light in her eyes dimmed.

"It's strange being able to do that for myself. But a relief. Like I finally have control over just _one thing_. Finally."

"Well, it wasn't under your control earlier tonight," Wolverine pointed out with a growl. "Elektra sure chose a hell of way to show it to ya."

"Yeah...when do ya think we'll see her again?"

"When she's ready for war," Logan replied darkly.

Jai bit her lip and looked away, wondering how she could possibly word what she wanted to say to the man who had just seen her unknowingly through her first sexual experience.

"Logan...the trigger phrase is a huge help. _Huge._ But...face to face? The effect that--_monster_ has over me? I'm not sure I trust it."

"You don't have to face him until you know you're ready, Jai."

She scoffed.

"Yeah, _right. _He'll come hunting me down after tonight. He'll _know _I survived the explosion no matter what Tyger hopes for."

Wolverine tightened his grip around her waist, wanting this inescapable fact to be anything but true.

"Will...will you help me see this through?" she continued hesitantly. "Til the end?"

_Because _you _have an effect over me too. A strong one. One that helps me see something other than the Gorgon, my master._ But Jai left this unsaid, unsure of her herself and just where she stood in this new and confusing emotional entanglement she called Wolverine.

"Absolutely, Jai. I owe the goddamn asshole a fucking world of hurt you can't even imagine. Finding you was the first lead I got on him since--" Logan broke off abruptly as a long lost, much loved face came to him from painful, quenched memories. He's been blatantly denying the fact that Jai reminded him of her with each passing moment. In the little, tiny details, like the way she tilted her head when thinking or the way she bit her lip when nervous. In the big, grand overtures like her temper erupting at Viper or her brave and urgent move to save his life.

"Logan?" Jai asked tentatively.

Logan swallowed hard, wondering just how much his compassion and empathy towards Jai were displaced grief over his passed loss.

Damn, but _he missed her_.

_Jai deserves better than this. I'm a hell of a bastard._

She looked up at him, achingly vulnerable, horribly alone.

A look that had already, unknowingly wormed it's way under his usual shields, a look that meant he couldn't deny her.

And he didn't _want_ to deny her a thing.

For now, she needed him. It felt good to be needed, felt good to be with her.

Even if it was wrong.

He looked down at her, far more confused about a girl than he had been in _years_. For just a second, a heartbeat, a breath, he swore he could see blue eyes in the darkness instead of brown.

"I'm with you til the end of this," he finished gruffly.

Relief flooded her features, and a hint of dependence slipped passed her guard.

"Then I need you to tell me what happened when the Gorgon killed you and left you stone."

****

Logan paced restlessly back and forth across the soft carpet of the hotel room. Rubbed at his pockets, absentmindedly searching for a cigar that wasn't there. Snarled in irritation since this room wasn't already specifically set up for his use, meaning they wouldn't be found in any drawer.

"_Goddamnit, _why, Jai?"

"Because I _saw _you. I need to know when it was...why you were there...why it sticks out in my brain so much," she insisted. "It means something, Logan. I know it does."

"The Gorgon 'n I have a history. A sordid one."

_Snikt!_

Releasing his claws was always a dangerous game. Sometimes the sharp, piercing sensation of the adamantium ripping though his skin cleared his head, leveled him out, gave him focus. Other times, it drove him over the final precipice into the scarlet-tinged horror that was his infamous beserker rage.

He turned his back to her, not ready to face her anymore than he was to face the past.

Dropped his head to the inevitable.

Finally spoke.

"Few years back, he captured me, brainwashed me, used me to go after the good guys. Fantastic Four, the X-men. Friends can be fuckin' scared o' me even when I'm in control o' myself...take that away..."

Logan trailed off, picturing the faces of those he should stand beside, those he should protect, watch their worst nightmare come true. And their worst nightmare was _him._

"I killed him then. But he was raised by the Hand."

He dropped his head with the shame of the next memory.

"Then, a year ago, he had it in for Cage's Avengers team. An innocent friend of mine--a _good friend--_" Logan choked on the inadequacy of the words.

After Jubilation's death, he never quite knew how to describe her. Friend, partner, former teammate, sidekick. Nothing had seemed right. They had all fit before, but in losing her, they never quite seemed to convey the way he felt about her in death. And if he was even a little more honest, they hadn't quite described her those last few years either. But what was the point of thinking on it when she was lost?

She was beyond simple description.

"...He murdered her. Horribly. To _taunt me._"

_Don't let him use me against you...Don't let him win..._

"I couldn't resist. _I couldn't let it go._ I hunted him down in Japan intent on murdering him in the worst possible way. I almost succeeded. I fuckin' skewered the bastard, but he got the drop on me with his death vision at the last second. Then...nothing. Then Elektra. She found me, raised me from the dead."

He sunk down to the bed next to Jai.

"I failed her. On _every_ count."

His head dropped down to his hands; at the same time, small arms wrapped around him from behind and he felt Jai lay her head against his back.

"I'm sorry. I'm glad Elektra raised you though. I'm sure she would be too."

"I don't know what that'll have to do with your experience, Jai, your reason for remembering me. But it's all I got."

She snuggled more intently into his back, rethinking his concept of emotional entanglements, the unfounded god-awful fear in watching him sink to the bottom of the sea, the grief in his voice as he relived the death of his friend.

"You want him as much as me."

"_Yes."_

She gently set her chin on on his shoulder, leaned her cheek into his, and felt his rough stubble lightly scrape her skin, relishing the texture.

"Okay."

He turned to her, a ghost of a smile on his rugged face.

This time, Jai leaned in for a kiss, hesitant, unsure, wanting to give him what comfort she was able. To her paramount pleasure, he returned with fervor, pulling her into his lap and kissing her slowly, tantalizingly, wonderfully.

"Okay, then," he responded.

He fell back onto the bed, taking her with him, and pulling at the soft sheet that covered her body. She took the opportunity to straddle him, dipping down to rest her weight on her elbows so that her breasts brushed up against his chest, giving Logan the opportunity to cup them in his large hands. She ran a bandaged hand across his face before seeking his mouth again.

Much later, Jai and Logan lay wrapped around each other and watched as the eastern sky grew lighter until the sun broke over the horizon, bathing them in a warm, golden light that was comforting and reassuring and so far from the nightmare that was the Gorgon's deadly-bright stare that Jai was able to tuck her worries away and appreciate the moment.

"Y'know...it's funny," she started quietly. "In some ways, you're the one thing I really know about myself. I remembered you before I remembered anything. And you just happened to be the guy I lost it to."

Jai smiled at Logan while he groaned.

"Oh, Christ, darlin', we gotta get you some new memories."

She laughed and snuggled back into his side, sleepy and satiated.

They slept as the sun rose.

****

Logan heard her at the door, and had just enough time to slip out of bed, pull on his jeans, and cover Jai up with the linen sheets.

"Am I interrupting?" Tyger questioned, a self-assured, knowing smile overtaking her voluptuous lips.

Logan rubbed at his pockets again, still feeling a keen need for a smoke and refrained from saying, _Only in the literal sense._

He gestured towards the door, not wanting to wake Jai when she needed rest and he had done his damned best to ensure she didn't get any sleep the night before.

The door clicked behind them softly and Tyger eyed him up and down like she was sizing him up for the first time in a long while. Logan scowled in annoyance; Tyger wasn't the jealous type and he hadn't figured on her giving him a hard time over a younger woman.

"Well, well. I guess you both recovered fully from your joint adventure last night."

Logan ignored her statement and jumped to the point.

"What's up, Tyger? Viper? New intel?"

She raised a slightly shocked eyebrow.

"Didn't mean to touch on a delicate subject, Logan. My apologies. Why so sore?"

"Why so interested?" he countered.

She tilted her head to one side, letting out a soft laugh.

"That happened fast," she whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

"I could tell you had a thing for her. My god, she is _right up your ally._ Fits your type perfectly. What I didn't know...is how serious it is."

She stared down at him and Logan ground his teeth, hating that Tyger knew him so well.

"Serious?"

"You wouldn't be so damn defensive if you were taking it lightly, Logan. And you're not taking it lightly. You're never easier to read than when it comes to women. You hide everything else _so perfectly_, but _women..._" Tyger Tiger trailed off, letting a satisfied smile overtake her features.

Wolverine turned away from his long-time occasional lover.

"Guess I'm just a goddamn open book, huh, _darlin'?"_

Tyger's face fell at his grating tone.

"Logan...I'm teasing. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. You're doing that all on your own. Which begs the question, why?"

He blew out a breath, willing some of his guilt to go with it.

"Shit, Tyger, I'm sorry. I just..."

"Ah, regrets," Tyger recognized. "I must say I'm impressed--it took you no time at all to find them in this situation. Want to talk about it, Logan? No judgements here, I promise."

"Didn't really sound that way..." he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Only because you can't take a joke," she responded levelly, her expression unusually earnest.

Tyger gave him a warm smile and leaned in to deliver a soft kiss to his cheek.

"I'm also quite certain you're being too hard on yourself. Jai's a big girl, and she obviously likes you."

"She's young and doesn't even remember what it's like to have _friends._ Can't help but feel like I crossed a line."

"Logan, you have more in common with her than most men would. Something tells me she'll relate to you better."

"God help her," he said emphatically and Tyger let out small snicker.

He leaned up against the wall, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking at the woman who embodied everything he loved about Madripoor.

"She deserves better. And I took advantage," he responded in all seriousness.

"You have an amazing ability for self-loathing. For the record, I count myself lucky to have called you my lover and my friend."

Logan smiled slightly at her admission.

"Thanks, Tyger. You're a hell of a lady. So no hard feelings then?"

Tyger smiled, seeing that Logan had at least started to accept her point and let his guilt go.

"Absolutely not. I like her. And I have never had any delusions about the convenience of our situation, Logan. Never mind the fact that a part of me would hate you forever if you randomly decided I was your one and only _now."_

_ "_What do ya mean by that?" he questioned, his gaze curios.

"I'm heading down a long road that has little to no effect on you, Logan. And I'm gaining speed. You don't notice yet, but you will someday soon."

"What're ya talkin' about, Jess?"

A stress he didn't often see strained her features.

"Age, Logan. I'm talking about age. You look at me and you see me as I was twenty years ago. I can tell. And I look absolutely _fabulous_ for my years, but I am slowly losing ground. One day you _will_ notice and it's coming sooner than you may think."

"Christ, darlin'--"

He stepped towards her, a comforting hand reaching for her shoulder and he could sniff out just a trace of salty tears as she backed away from him.

"Don't you dare," she warned. "Don't you dare look at me like that. I'm not interested."

He relented, giving her her moment.

"Anyway," Tyger started again, once she had regained her composure. "I like Jai. And I think she's good for you. It's not such a bad idea for you to date a younger woman."

Logan scoffed.

"Dating, huh? It's been _one_ night."

"And how'd it go?" she asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I promised her I'd do what it takes to finish this shit with the Gorgon," he muttered.

Jessan smiled.

"Shut up," he shot back.

"On that note...I received a message."

Logan quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"_Elektra_ will be here in an hour and wants to see you both. Now, will you please tell me what the hell happened last night?


	18. Chapter 18

**It's been forever, I know! February has been unexpectedly busy for me. Anyway, just wanted to say a quick thanks to all the regulars--Wolverette, Xelia, Yulian, Nileena, Tokyo Fox, Jade Wildcat--and some newer readers--Elizabeth, deathgeonous, starsngarters, Realty Assassin, BlueSqueak!! Thank you all so much, you guys ROCK.**

**Here we go!**

Jai woke alone.

"Logan?" she whispered softly, an irrational fear of abandonment welling up within her.

_Damn the Gorgon. This is ridiculous. He probably just went for breakfast or something. And it's not like I can expect too much of him or anything._

She squared her shoulders, willing her sense of professionalism to settle around her like a protective cloak. Now was not the time to find new vulnerabilities within herself. Logan would help her see this through to the end, but after that, he didn't owe her a thing. She had to find a way to keep her head above the water.

Jai made her way to the closet, finding a delicate silk kimono in place of the typical generic hotel robe. She wrapped it around her lithe body feeling a modicum of relief as she did so . She made her way for the door, wondering if Logan was just outside, or perhaps on his way back in, but resisted, finding nature calling insistently.

Once relieved, her stomach made her aware that with the shower and the injuries and the losing her virginity, food had fallen to the wayside last night and she was ravenous. Jai padded over to the phone, finding that she was experiencing an intense craving for waffles and sugary cereal which was odd because she had no clear memory of ever eating such delicious breakfast food.

But she could_ practically taste it._

"Well, no time like the present," she said to the empty room.

She optimistically ordered enough for two, including plenty of meat, assuming the Wolverine would never turn down anything that had once been a living creature as something about him just _screamed_ predator and carnivore simultaneously.

_My neck is certainly testament to that._

She rubbed at the bruise on her neck, finding it sore to the touch, then curled up on the corner of the soft couch that wasn't previously ruined by her soiled uniform. A blush rose to her cheeks as she vividly remembered just how said uniform had been removed from her hours ago. Images flashed through her brain from last night, unstoppable and irrefutable. Logan pressing her up against the shower wall, his denim jeans creating an intense friction that was conquered only by his rough hands. The wonderful agony of his teeth claiming her neck increasing the pleasure he drew from other areas. The shock of unexpected pain in the midst of ecstasy and the realization of what it told them both about herself.

Jai rubbed at her face, wishing the flashes of lovemaking away.

Wondering what time it was, she checked the clock and the red digits declared it half past ten. She didn't get a full night's sleep by a long shot but she was jumpy and ready to start the day, ready to find out what the hell was going on.

_Screw it. I'm gonna go look for him._

But she didn't have to. He walked through the door before she even stood up.

Jai stared as he stalked inside, hoping surprise and delight were not overly evident on her face.

"Logan."

"Hey, darlin'. How are ya? Hungry?"

She nodded.

"I called and ordered room service; got enough for two."

He walked up to her, and leaning over, brushed stray bangs away from her face.

"How ya feelin'?" he pressed, his expression oddly solemn.

She smiled slightly.

"I'm good. Still a little...overwhelmed. But okay."

"Yeah..." he trailed his calloused fingers down the side of her face and to her neck, brushing slightly against the raised welt on her skin. She sucked in air as pressure was exerted on the bruise.

Logan drew back from her, but Jai refused to let him go, shooting her hand out and tugging at his shirt with a poor, ineffectual bandaged grip. He could easily have broken free, but submitted to her hold over him, letting Jai pull him close, finding her soft, seeking lips. Broke the kiss after long, drawn out moments.

"Listen, Jai. Elektra's coming here. She wants to see you."

Logan watched the slight blush to her cheeks drain away.

"That soon, huh?"

He shook his head negatively in response.

"I doubt it. She can't be ready to make her move yet. I think she just wants to talk to ya, darlin'."

Jai pushed herself to her feet, taking up pacing around the room in front of Logan.

"Logan...I've been thinking. Remember when you offered to take me to the X-men?"

"Yeah."

"Do--do you really think they'll be able to help with the mind blocks?"

"It's the best shot I know of, Jai."

She turned to face him, her expression resolute, determined, her eyes burning with an intensity he was growing to love in her. She was so strong, stronger than she knew, but their was an undeniable fragility to her--a fear that she would lose herself in the battle, lose her reemerging personality to an overpowering influence that robbed her of herself.

"I want you to take me to the X-men. I want to know who I am before I have to face that bastard again."

Logan gripped her upper arms, feeling her small but well defined biceps tensed.

"Okay," he said, pulling her into him, and wrapping his arms around her."We'll go today."

****

She looked perfect, Jai noted.

Her bright green eyes were clear, determined, in control. Her hair shone black and glossy, her skin unmarred with no wounds to speak of how she spent the last night wreaking havoc on a horde of the Hand, meeting out death with every stroke. Her clothes were smart and simple, a black pants suit with a scarlet shirt, creating the illusion of a put together business woman with a relentless gleam in her emerald eyes.

Jai grimaced, realizing she stood in awe of the woman before her.

"So...what do you want from me, Elektra?"

"I want your help."

"To take down the Gorgon. To give you the Hand. Why should I trust you?"

Elektra smiled at Jai's direct approach, finding it refreshing.

"You'd still be under his thumb if not for me."

Jai narrowed her eyes even as she stared up at the statuesque woman. She was flanked by a glowering Wolverine and quietly intrigued Tyger Tiger.

"That's a piss poor excuse. He brainwashed me in the first place--_you_ brainwashed me to work against him and _with_ you. Why not just brake the original programming and let me decide this for myself?"

Elektra curled her full lips into a smirk.

"You sound like you've been talking to Logan."

Jai resisted the overpowering urge to roll her eyes in exasperation. _Of course_ she had been talking to Logan. She had insisted that he tell her everything he knew of Elektra and what Elektra had told him about her trigger phrase.

"I can already tell ya, lady, you are _not_ going to get far with me without answering my questions," Jai said through gritted teeth.

"It was a very delicate process, Jai. I watched the Hand for _months_ before choosing you. And by choosing you, I put you in more danger than you know. I had to tread carefully or I'd alert the Gorgon to what I was doing. He would have killed you or kept you locked away where it would have been impossible to liberate you."

Her voice was softened, tentative, sincere.

"Why did you choose me? Why was_ I_ the best candidate?"

"Because his methods didn't work as well as he thought. Luckily for us, Jai, his ego is too great to see certain shortcomings."

"Do you know why it didn't work as well as it should have?"

"If I had to guess...I'd say because you were stronger mentally than he anticipated. Perhaps you have received training in your past life. For instance, he wouldn't have been able to use these new methods on me with my mental training. Or Wolverine. The process is too delicate for a brain who's been so--"

"Violated?" Wolverine broke in with a growl.

Elektra looked into his stormy blue eyes without hesitation or fear.

"Yes," she admitted then turned back to Jai. "But the method is _very_ effective for the right mind. Hence your amnesia and the continued existence of the majority of the mind blocks."

Jai turned to pace, fully realizing that it was a clear tell to her state of mind. But she didn't care. She needed a release for nervous energy, a crackling, bubbling, itching sort of energy fueled by her concern and by her sugary breakfast. She rubbed her bandaged hands against her black pants, her healing wounds itching abominably.

"So...my brainwashing was flawed from the beginning and you caught it because you were looking for it. I was the _convenient_, _easy_ choice for what you were planning."

"That's one way to put it, yes."

"How long did it take to...do what you did?" Jai asked still rubbing her bandaged hands against her legs.

"Several weeks. The Gorgon was growing suspicious. That's why I asked Nick to extract you before the Gorgon could fully catch on to what I was doing to you."

"And the rest I remember. Daisy's team. SHIELD. Wolverine."

Jai's eyes lit up slightly and she halted her pacing to turn back to Elektra.

"Wolverine. Logan's familiar to me. I saw him as one of the dead statues and I remembered him...would you know anything about that?"

A small crease appeared between her sculpted brows, a tiny fraction of a frown. Her green eyes caught the shadow of a bruise poking up from Jai's high-collared shirt, but she kept the observation to herself.

"That...is interesting. You remember seeing him as stone specifically?"

"Yes."

"When I was dead," Wolverine clarified with impatience.

"Hm...well, I had thought you'd been taken by the Hand _after_ I resurrected Logan. That means you were already within his clutches for longer than I was aware."

Jai tensed, holding her breath, hoping for a revelation, however small.

Logan looked intently at Elektra and Tyger quirked a brow.

They waited.

"_And...?" _Jai pressed.

Elektra shrugged.

"That is all. You were there for longer than I thought. But the fact that I wasn't aware of your presence meant he was hiding you for some reason."

Bitter disappointment welled within her.

"Well, gee, that's a _huge _help," she exclaimed, her voice dripping sarcasm.

"You were different to him from the beginning, Jai. He always treated you oddly. You were his--"

"Prize," she finished feeling an upset in her stomach and swallowing hard.

"I wish I could give you more," Elektra said sincerely.

Jai went back to her pacing as the Gorgon's face floated in front of her, cruelly controlling, handsomely evil, terrifying, comforting, bright and dark in one.

"Ugh," she rubbed at her face, willing the loneliness not to overtake her. She had been separated from him for too long, the sense of abandonment was becoming more insistent. She stepped towards Logan, then hesitated, and backed away, wanting answers more than a crutch.

"What can you tell me about the whole exploiting me through making me care about him thing?" Jai asked, choking over the question.

"The technique exploits your fears. Provides you with a desirable substitution to cling to that helps you walk right into the brainwashing rather than face a frightening reality."

"So these..._phobias_ were mine _before_ I was brainwashed," Jai said quietly, her back to every person in the room. "They're a part of who I used to be."

"Yes...and yours were specifically useful. Abandonment, Jai? Loneliness? A wall between you and the world? All the Gorgon had to do was make himself the center of your entire existence and you were _his,_" she implored.

"_Not even the stars are safe in the sky,_" Jai whispered, letting the words wash over her, through her, taking the need of reassurance offered by the Gorgon far away. "It keeps me from relying on him, but..."

_The loneliness is constant companion._

She didn't want to say it out loud. Didn't want such fragility to come to the surface.

Did other people feel like this? Was it_ all the time _for them too?

She squeezed her eyes shut and found herself feeling strong arms grip her tight and thought for half a second Logan had stepped up to hold her, but it was only the memory of him from last night. A comforting one.

"The loneliness is emphasized by the brainwashing, Jai." Elektra explained, reading her face. "Your fears are raw and exposed. I didn't have time to develop a trigger phrase for _that._"

"How long would that take?" Jai asked.

"Weeks," she responded. "That we don't have."

"Wonderful. What am I suppose to _do_ about it?"

"I hear friends help," Elektra respond in a dry voice. "But don't consider me an expert on the subject.

Jai's eyes flitted over to meet Logan's concerned gaze then shot back to Elektra.

"Wolverine's going to take me to the X-men. Today. To help me with the mind blocks."

"Jai," Elektra pressed. "Come to Japan with me."

"Just because you counteracted part of the brainwashing doesn't mean you own me!"

"I'm not saying I do."

Jai spun away from Elektra and leaned heavily against a decorative side table, her head bent low.

"No. Not yet."

"There isn't a unlimited amount of time on this, Jai. It's happening soon. _Very_ soon."

"Because of _your_ plans--because of what you've been working towards this whole time!" she accused. "I'm going with Wolverine first. I'm going to try and conquer the rest of my brainwashing before I make myself utterly fucking vulnerable to him. Carry on with you _domination plans_ all you want, but don't count on _me_, Elektra. I have more important things to attend to."

Jai turned on her heel, making a beeline for the door.

"Jai, wait!"

She stopped just paces away from the exit, her back tensed, her fingers twitching like she desperately wanted to curl her hands into hateful fists or wrap them around the hilt of her katana. She turned her head just slightly, just enough for Wolverine to catch the haunted expression on her lovely face.

"I may not know your identity," Elektra continued, "I may not know what's behind the remaining mind blocks. But I _do_ know you well enough to be certain that you will regret if for the rest of your life if you don't come with me for this. Jai, _you owe him too much to let him get away with it_."

Logan could sense the anguish rise up within her and resisted the urge to go to her side.

Jai walked out of the room, leaving them all looking after her.

Elektra turned to face the short feral that she had raised from the dead out of friendship.

"You owe him too, Logan."

"Thanks for the flamin' reminder."

Elektra handed him a small, weathered strip of paper.

"You can reach me at this number if she changes her mind. She only has a few days at most."

Logan grabbed the paper, glancing down at the digits.

"Yeah," he said skeptically. "Guess we'll be in touch."

**Next--on to the X-men!!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Yes, this one is short too:( Unfortunately, I'm still quite busy, but I'm at least still writing....!**

His dark blue eyes tracked her movements, the predator's view drawn to subtle nervous tells. She captured her bottom lip between her teeth, bounced her small foot up and down, up and down, picked at her bandages with her fingernails.

"Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea."

Logan took his meaty hand and gripped her fidgety one with it, biting back a grin.

"It'll be fine."

"How do _you_ know?"

"I've had multiple telepaths in my head for various reasons, darlin'. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. I think this'll be one of the helpful times."

"Yeah...I just...don't like the idea of yet _another_ person poking around in my brain, y'know? I feel like everyone knows more about the territory than _I_ do."

"Yeah. Been there too."

She turns to face his wry, yet slightly haunted features, a small sympathetic smile tugging at her lips.

"We're quite the pair, huh?"

He winked.

"Least we're interesting."

She laughed lightly.

"So...will I get the same telepath as you?"

Logan scratched at his beard, thinking of who would be on-island.

"Nah...I'm gonna ask Emma to help you out. She's our main go-to telepath these days."

Jai narrowed her eyes at his handsome yet weathered face.

"What aren't you telling me?"

He groaned lightly, readjusting his butt in the uncomfortably compact airplane seat. They had booked passage on a public airline as soon as they left Elektra's rooms, not wanting to have to go through Fury and SHIELD at the time. Better to call Nick form Utopia than to convince him why it would be in the mission's best interest to have Jai get her head sorted out _before_ helping Elektra and SHIELD take on the Gorgon and the Hand.

"Emma's not what you'd call the most...reassuring type of person in the world."

"No?"

"No." He thought on it. "Ice cold bitch comes to mind."

She relinquished her hand from his to scratch at her bandages again nervoulsy.

"And she's going to be digging around in my brain? Lovely."

"Don't get me wrong, Jai. She's good people. Damn amazing at what she does--very professional. Just...don't expect her to be the warm, fuzzy type."

"Gee, what with ninja assassins, Fury, SHIELD, the Gorgon, Elektra, Viper and _you _I'm not sure I can handle your hardcore telepath." Her expression went from nervous to faux wide-eyed.

He chuckled lightly.

"Your the one freaked about someone goin' inta your head. Just thought I'd give ya a fair warning."

She grimaced and continued to rub at her hands.

"Yeah...do you trust her?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well," Jai quirked one corner of her mouth. "That's good enough for me then."

She reached for his hand, such a simple, normal gesture. Let her small fingers lace through his, while pulling his hand into her lap, signifying ownership without even knowing it.

"What if she is right, Logan? What if I do miss it and then I do regret if for the rest of my life?" she asked quietly.

"There are worse things to miss out on than revenge, Jai. You decided this was more important--and I think you went with your gut. I think that getting back what he stole from you is a better sort of revenge."

"Is that all that experience talking again?"

He smiled darkly.

"_Someone_ should benefit from it."

Jai glanced out a the window, at the soft blue of the atmosphere.

"Y'know, I promised myself that I _would_ face him again--that I would see this through. I should have just gone with Elektra, but there was just _something_ about getting pushed into it y'know? I'm tired of it, Logan. I'm tired of getting bullied, prodded, pushed, and triggered or _whatever_ into these things. SHIELD wants my memories, want me to work for 'em, who knows _why_ the Gorgon wanted me in the first place, and _Elektra--!"_

She cut herself off abruptly, still staring out into the powdery blue, thinking of other blues, haunting, bright sapphire blues. Her eyes from another life.

As another person.

"I don't like people telling me what to do."

"Most people don't," he agreed. "You have a better reason than most."

Jai chewed at her lip again in nervous hesitation.

She should have bought a pack of gum at the airport, if only to spare her lip the bruises.

She thought of bringing it up with Logan, the dreams of possible memories, the face that was hers, but wasn't. But, she always stopped herself. She didn't know why.

_Another mind block maybe? Another person _still_ exerting control over me? What I think, what I say, what I'm afraid of?_

Jai simply didn't feel comfortable broaching the subject. With anybody. Period.

"You don't seem upset," she said, dragging her thoughts away from the mystery she didn't want to confront.

Wolverine frowned questioningly. Jai had changed the track of the conversation so quickly, he couldn't imagine what direction she was going now.

"About what?" he asked.

"You want your revenge too," Jai reminded him. It seemed like _everyone _was reminding him. "But, I wail about going to the X-men for a telepath and you drop everything and board a plane with me going in the exact opposite direction of the Gorgon and your desired revenge. I'm all messed up in my head about _everything_ and I'm nervous about what I'm about to do, so I didn't think about it after we spoke to Elektra. But, you're here with me when I thought you wanted to be in Japan.

"You want him too," she repeated from their earlier conversation.

He lapsed into a deep silence, his furrowed brow becoming more familiar to her than the reflection of her own face. He prodded at her attention, her focus, with every second of being in close proximity to her. Every breath, every touch, every look. The effect hadn't faded with the culmination of their relationship, it only made her more aware of his memorable presence.

"Logan?"

"Been thinking about the past since you asked me about it. How badly I fucked it up going in hot and half-cocked and so messed up over...her death...that I couldn't see straight. I handled it...badly."

"This time you have SHIELD and Elektra doing all the prep work and asking for your help," Jai pointed out.

"Yeah. But you're askin' for it too. You need it more, darlin'. Deserve it more. I know what it's like to not even have _yourself_ due to amnesia. Helping you feels _right_ Jai. Like I'm finally making up for how I failed a year ago."

"Helping me is a better kind of revenge?" she asked softly, needing to know.

"It's a way of making peace with the past. Of not letting that unforgivable bastard win."

_Of giving Jubilee what she asked me for while dying._

She dropped her head onto his broad shoulder, squeezed his hand.

"You never say her name."

"You stopped callin' the Gorgon your Master."

"To call him that invokes a stronger response in my programming. Makes it harder to separate myself from him."

Logan shifted his shoulder out from under her small head, wrapped his arm around her so he could draw her in closer.

"Exactly."


	20. Chapter 20

**Alright, so the last one was short so I wanted to get this one up as soon as I could. Thanks again for all the reviews! And now, Jai meets the X-men!**

"Welcome to the mutant X-Island of Utopia! During your stay, it is our hope that the island does not sink right out from under your feet into the sea, that you are not attacked by our large and various collection of arch-nemesis's--nemes_ies_?--or that some random anti-mutant so-called government-sanctioned group of social terrorists doesn't bypass all forms of jurisdiction and decide to rain down hate, injustice, and intolerance on us in the form of bullets! Or sentinels. Them too."

Logan rolled his eyes skyward and let out an all-suffering sigh.

"Jai, this is Bobby Drake, the Iceman. It's probably best if you just try to ignore him."

Jai gave the tall boyish blonde an uncertain grin and went against Logan's advice, accepting his icy hand to shake.

"Hi, Bobby. Interesting to meet you."

"Um, thanks. Interesting...to meet you too."

Iceman gave Wolverine a slightly puzzled look, but quickly shrugged it off as he escorted the shorter pair towards the main complex on the island, spying Cyclops in the distance.

"Hey, Scooooottt! Wolverine brought home a _giiiirl!_"

Wolverine snarled.

"I'm gonna gut-punch you before the day is out, Drake."

"Right. How was New York?" he asked, switching tracks to avoid said gut-punching.

"Not New York."

"Japan?"

"Madripoor," Logan supplied in annoyance.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"We fought ninjas on a ship that blew up," Jai offered.

"Of _course _you did_. _So. Good time?"

Logan and Jai traded a look, Wolverine grinding his teeth while glowering, Jai smiling slightly with amusement at the carefree X-Man.

"It was fine," Jai supplied again while Logan held to his irritated silence.

Iceman took her small smile to heart, snaking his way in between the pair, intrigued by Logan's small Asian guest.

"So your name's Jai?"

After predominately spending her time with Logan, she had to strain her neck to look up at him.

"Yep."

"Jai....?"

She granted him a quizzical look.

"Jai _what?"_ he persisted.

"Oh! Um, I don't know, actually." Her tone dropped with uncertainty and she frowned. It had just occurred to her that most other people had last names and right now all she had was a first name. And, really, her first name was just a syllable. That was it. A single syllable, a single sound, to define her.

"You mean Wolvie brought home a girl with amnesia? Wow, that's just--"

Logan exerted pressure on the younger man's arm, with his considerable, adamantium-laced strength.

"How about you go annoy someone less prone to killing you, bub?"

Bobby eyed Wolverine intently, trying to decide just how far he could push the feral. Deciding he had one more comment to go before bloodshed, he leaned down to Jai's level. He opted for a broad question in his effort to unearth information.

"So, what's your story Jai? Don't hold back. Here, with the X-men, we've heard it all!"

"Um, well..." Jai stalled, unused to such casual interest compared to the technical, clinical interest of SHIELD, or the tentative, experienced understanding provided by Logan.

She opted for simplicity.

"I'm an assassin."

This stopped Bobby up short, but to his credit, the surprised look on his face only lasted for a few seconds.

"An assassin? _Of course_ you are. Wolverine brings home all the interesting women."

Jai's eyes narrowed.

"Is it a common practice of his or something?" she asked, not caring that Logan was three feet away from her on Bobby's other side. Bobby, suddenly decided that walking in between the pair was the least desirable position for him to be in, quickly considered exiting via iceslide.

"Oh, uh, well, not really _really_--it's just that if there's an interesting woman out there who's _not_ an X-Woman, he tends to know her really well."

_Snikt._

Three adamantium claws appeared as if by magic or teleportation right in front of Iceman's sternum.

"You are the _last_ authority on me and any women, Drake."

Bobby stupidly decided to defend his position.

"Hey man, it's not _me_ who has Spider-woman, Mrs. Marvel, Tyger Tiger, Yukio, the Black Widow, Jessica Jones, and Elektra all in his cell phone."

He delivered the names in a quick and quiet low monotone, as if the small, intelligent part of his brain was subtly trying to warn him of his mistake even as he made it.

Jai ground her teeth at the mention of Elektra's name, stress flaring within her.

"I wasn't aware his list of girlfriends was so long," Jai said, poking at Logan's irritated expression while desperately hoping that Bobby's assessment of the girlfriend situation was way off.

_I shouldn't care this much,_ Jai thought desperately.

"That is _hardly_ my list of girlfriends," Logan snarled in his own defense.

"Yukio is," Bobby shot back in poor judgement.

"So is Tyger," Jai supplied, proving that she was far more aware of the situation in Madripoor than Logan had originally thought.

He stuffed his hands uncomfortably in his pockets, far happier to reach One-Eye than he normally would be any other day of the damn week.

"Welcome back, Logan," Scott greeted him in his usual business-like cordial tone. He quickly followed it with, "Took you long enough."

"Madripoor was flamin' great, Cyke, thanks for askin'," Logan retorted.

Cyclops ignored the jibe with an aplomb that came with long years of practice. At this point, they didn't even do it to truly get a rise out of the other; it was simply so ingrained in their typical interaction that it occurred without much thought.

"So you're Jai," he greeted curtly, offering his hand for a quick handshake that gave Jai the impression he had very little time for social niceties when he had an entire island of mutant refugees and X-men to run.

Jai returned the hand shake with a blank face, hoping he didn't actually expect her to respond with something as painfully obvious as confirming her identity.

"Logan tells me your girlfriend is my best shot at getting my memory back," she said, hoping she could get the conversation on the right track.

He nodded in agreement, frowning slightly at the informal way the small, young woman spoke of Emma. Wolverine was clearly rubbing off on the girl.

"Emma will be home in a couple of days, but in the meantime Hank might be willing to examine you."

Jai immediately bristled at his choice adjective, unconsciously taking a step back.

"Our on-site doctor," Scott explained.

Jai frowned in mistrust turning from Scott to Logan.

"Nobody said anything about more doctors. What the hell do you expect this _Dr. Hank_ to find that the damn SHIELD idiots didn't?"

Logan glowered at his tactless leader and turned to Jai.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, darlin'. We tend to throw Hank at any and everybody, but he's harmless."

"Emma wanted Hank to weigh in first, Logan," Scott argued.

"Well, she can _meet_ him, Summers, but it's _Jai's _decision about gettin' poked and prodded like a damn science experiment," he asserted while protectively stepping closer to her, one strong, muscled arm settling on her slender shoulders protectively.

Scott raised a single brow above his ruby-quartz glasses at the feral's interesting and tell-tale body language and shrugged.

"Look, I'm just the messenger. At least go talk to Hank. I'm off to check and see how much ground we've lost to the sea, how Rogue's doing with classes today, and how long it's going to take to get the water filtration system fixed because I imagine there will be a mutiny in a week when drinking water and hot showers are gone."

"Well, we'll let you get back to your fun then, Summers," Logan ground out as the taller man nodded to the short pair and Bobby in the background before walking off in another direction.

Jai crossed her arms and furrowed her delicate brow in thought. "So, I already know this Emma woman is a coldhearted bitch. What's _Hank_ like?"

Bobby came up from behind her with a grin.

"Never fear, Jai. Think of a teddy bear. A big, jovial, blue, cat-like teddy bear."

Jai smiled slightly.

"You're being literal, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," both Wolverine and Bobby replied simultaneously.

"Alright," she sighed. "Let's get this over with."

She trailed after the X-men half-heartedly and resigned to her immediate fate.

After several minutes, a stray thought came to her attention from Bobby's earlier conversation.

"Yukio..." she started.

Logan looked back at her with an inscrutable expression.

"She was the woman in Japan when I was extracted."

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Asian women, huh?"

Logan let a sigh of resignation while Bobby grinned.

"Redheads too," the Iceman piped up.

"Oh, _Christ," _Wolverine groaned.

****

"Ah, the prodigal feral comes home. Hello, my small, fellow furry friend. I trust you're well?"

Hank sat on a reinforced metal stool, feline face studiously pressed against his favorite microscope, his back turned to the trio. Logan grimaced. He was aware that in his cat-like state, Hank had super-senses as well, but it was still somewhat odd to watch the Doctor casually put them to use. For all the physical traits Logan and Hank now shared, they couldn't be more different from the other.

"Doin' just fine, Blue. I'd like ya to meet Jai."

Hank pushed off with one foot, so that his stool spun round to face the newcomers, and felt his heart skip a beat within his furry chest.

For just a fraction of a second, he thought his nose was lying to him, and that the past had come to haunt him.

She stood between the two men, just like another young woman who would find her way down to his lab on so many different occasions with either Bobby or Logan accompanying her.

But it wasn't Jubilee, of course. Jubilee was dead.

Jai was small and unassuming and her expression was unsure, but their was a light in her brown eyes that spoke to Hank of easy smiles.

"It is so nice to meet your acquaintance, Jai. I'm Dr. Henry McCoy and I am happy to be at your service."

Her uncertainty was replaced by suspicion and her tone was surprisingly biting.

"Care to define that 'service' Doc? No offense, man, but I'm kinda sick of doctors at this point."

_So much for an easy smile_, Hank thought, realizing he'd read her wrong. He was looking for similarities that weren't there.

"Most understandable, Jai. I promise to be on my very best behavior."

Hank stood and gracefully loped towards his guests, his yellow, cat-like eyes taking in all details. Logan stood close to the girl, hovering in a way that was unusual for him unless he shared an easy familiarity with someone. To watch him with Jubilee was much the same.

Hank offered a blue fur-covered giant paw in lieu of a handshake.

She accepted, only after a breath of hesitation.

"If you wouldn't mind, please take a seat on the exam room table. It's just over here on the other side of the lab."

Jai followed, her small hand reaching out to Logan's for just a few steps before she took the lead, finally walking towards the table alone.

"So how thorough is this going to be Dr. McCoy? Do I need to start taking my clothes off or something?"

Hank couldn't help but spare a glance towards Wolverine just in time to catch the shorter man's glare.

"Not at all. Just your blood pressure and perhaps a sample of blood and I'll be quite satisfied."

Jai nodded, her demeanor business-like, her soft, jasmine-flowered scent tinged with controlled anger and unease.

She removed her olive corduroy jacket, her arms bare in a simple black tank top and available for Hank's scrutiny.

"Can I ask how Japan was?"

"Madripoor," Bobby interjected in a self-satisfied tone.

"Ah, yes," Hank responded. "Logan is particularly difficult to keep track of. One never knows where he might end up."

Jai nodded in response, but her eyes never left Hank's hands for a second; she was aware of every move he made as he reached for his stethoscope and proceeded to take her blood pressure.

"Can I ask how you're feeling in general Jai? Anything other than the amnesia that's bothering you? An old muscle ache from an injury you might not remember, perhaps?"

"No. Nothing like that."

"Alright, well, if you have any questions at all, even after you leave us, you can feel free to call me and ask."

He traded in his stethoscope for an alcohol swab to prep Jai's arm. With quick, precise movements, Hank had her stuck and bleeding into a vial, before Jai got a chance to realize he'd broken the skin with the needle.

She widened her eyes in surprise.

"Wow. I gotta say, I'm impressed. You're really good at that."

"Well, I feel it is my responsibility to be the best. Unfortunately, you're not my first patient with a less than desirable history as far as medical exams go."

Jai nodded in agreement. His statement certainly made perfect sense to her. Who better to be subjected to medical experiments than mutants?

"So, now what? Just wait for the blood test to come back? What are you planning for my DNA anyway?"

"Well, I'll run it through all the basic tests, plus a few...less common. For instance, we've had a history of our blood being poisoned with nanobytes on one particular occasion. Considering your dubious history, I figure it would be a prudent course of action to take the path less travelled. With your permission, of course."

"Anything you can find out for me would be great. Shouldn't SHIELD have done that though?" Jai frowned in irritation.

"If they did, I failed to find any record of it. It'll take several hours to run your blood through all our databases, Jai. Perhaps Logan could show you around the island until Emma returns?"

Jai looked back to the shorter man.

"Logan?"

He nodded gruffly.

"Sure, darlin'."

Jai hopped off the exam table with a careless bound, heading for the exit without looking back.

"Jai?" Hank called after her. "One more thing."

She turned back to him, a shadow falling back over her face, stealing away what youth she had left.

"See the doctor, get a twinkie."

He produced the plastic-wrapped golden treat from his lab coat pocket like a small, hidden treasure. Jai's eyes lit up before she registered that she was doing it; her mouth watering with the phantom taste of the cream-filled desert.

"Awesome!" She swiped the treat before Hank could blink. "Thanks a ton, Blue--you're the best!"

Then she disappeared, leaving the trio of men staring after her, all vaguely baffled at the strange turnabout in mood and demeanor.

Logan, slightly more accustomed to Jai's carefree side, recovered first.

"Right. Well, thanks again, Hank. Let us know if you find anything out," he requested while stalking after her.

"The resemblance is uncanny, you know," Hank said without acknowledging Logan's comment.

Wolverine halted, glancing back towards Hank with a dire look.

"She's a world class assassin, Hank. Absolutely lethal. And I don't know what you're talkin' about," he finished in a dangerous tone, making it clear that this was not a conversation he was interested in participating in.

Wolverine continued after her.

"You're not the only one who misses her, Logan."

Wolverine punched the door release, letting the solid metal barrier slide home and effectively cutting himself off from Hank and Bobby.

The Iceman turned to his lifelong best friend.

"That was weird right? I mean it's not just me?"

"No, Robert. It is not just you."


	21. Chapter 21

Rogue found her way down to Hank's lab after holding her latest class.

"How're y'all doin' today?" she asked, noting that Hank was punching away at his keyboard while Bobby sat on a stool next to him, looking out of place with a pile of twinkie wrappers in front of him.

"Quite well, thank you for asking."

"Mff," Bobby said by way of greeting while he chewed away at what Rogue knew to be a mouth full of treat. He swallowed after some effort. "Didjya see Wolvie's new girl?"

"Did I ever! Totally lost my train of thought while I was lecturin' on power control. Talk about gettin' thrown for a loop."

"I know, right?" Bobby asked, tossing her the last twinkie.

"You will be replacing my consumed property, Robert."

Bobby nodded at Beast distractedly.

"Yeah, yeah. So was she assassin creepy or Jubilee creepy?" he asked, refocusing on Rogue.

"Little of both, actually. Which made it even weirder."

"I like her." Bobby said with enthusiasm.

"I do too," Rogue affirmed. "As much as I can like any brainwashed assassin I only met for half an hour."

"If we didn't like brainwashed assassins we'd have a lot less friends," Bobby joked.

"I hope Emma'll be able to sort her out," Rogue continued. "I think she's good for Logan. I actually saw him smile while he was with her. These days, that's as rare as Scott taking a personal day."

Rogue claimed a stool for herself, wheeling it over to the well stocked mini-fridge and helping herself to a beer.

"_Do _make yourself at home," Hank commented while continuing to analyze the data on the screen before him.

Rogue granted him a dazzling smile.

"Thank ya, sugah, I will." Rogue saluted him with her freshly opened beer then turned back to Bobby. "I wonder though...does she remind us of Jubilee cause she's _like_ Jubilee or because she looks similar and hangs around with Logan?"

"Both," Bobby said with certainty.

"I don't know..." Hank started distractedly, before losing his focus and allowing the sentence to hang.

"Hank?" Bobby asked. He and Rogue traded an exasperated look. "Hank?"

"Yes? Oh! Right, well, I think the resemblance is undeniable. But I worry about what that could mean..." he trailed of for a second time.

"Worry how?" Rogue asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Well, now, that _is _odd." Hank said, his attention thoroughly absorbed by the computer screen.

"What's odd?" Rogue and Bobby asked simultaneously.

****

"So, tell me Jai. What do you think of our little island?"

Jai blanched as she turned to face the White Queen.

Emma Frost glittered in the red-orange afternoon sunlight, her diamond skin hard, unforgiving, and making it difficult for Jai to fully focus on her.

"Oh, come now. I'm not that terrifying am I?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jai nearly choked on the words, finding it hard to get them passed her closing throat.

Logan should have told her about _this._

"You're projecting, darling. At least I assume you are because it is _very_ clearly written all over your lovely face."

"I thought-I thought you were a telepath." Jai said, taking in the diamond skin.

So much like stone.

So much like her walking nightmares.

"I am a telepath."

"Then what the fuck is wrong with your skin?"

"Please don't tell me a hardened assassin like yourself is prejudiced against mutants who don't appear to be human?"

"I'm not talking about that--_I'm talking about your skin! _Why do you--how do you--?"

"It's my secondary mutation."

"Secondary mutation...?" she asked in a small voice fighting the keen urge to dive over the balcony edge in an effort to get away from this unknown woman and what her instincts told her the diamond skin represented.

Danger. Death. A stone prison that could not be breached.

Emma took another step closer to Jai allowing her skin to morph back to normal flesh, and proceeded to explain like she would to a frightened and unsure student.

"My primary mutation is, and always has been, telepathy, darling. See? I am every bit as human as...well, the next mutant, I suppose. My secondary mutation is the ability to morph into diamond, one of the hardest substance to the known world. Very handy in say...a nuclear explosion. The ability has saved my life on several occasions and is well worth the temporary loss of my telepathy."

Emma had turned to watch the sun sink towards the Pacific, lighting their island up with a fiery, angry red. She turned back to Jai who was still visibly uneasy, but had there been any mental or emotional projection, Emma had missed it while in her diamond state. The girl was utterly locked down, which was not how she wanted to start this particular meeting considering she was about to take a very personal stroll through the girl's brain.

"Can I ask why it...bothers you?"

Asking an assassin what frightened her was also not the way Emma hoped to start.

"The...Gorgon. He turns people into--"

"Stone. Of course. I'm so sorry, Jai, you have my apologies."

Her voice was calm and even, with very little emotional inflection, Jai noted. She could see what Logan meant about her being so cold. Jai suddenly wished she was back in Dr. McCoy's lab being thoroughly examined while munching on twinkies than on this balcony with this incomprehensible woman.

Nevertheless, she nodded, accepting the White Queen's proffered apology.

"Now, Logan tells me you're currently suffering from amnesia due to the Gorgan's brainwashing, correct?"

Jai gritted her teeth despite herself. This is where she asked Logan to be, this is what she _needed._

"Yeah. I can't see anything passed the mind blocks. Not a damn thing. I want to know who I am."

Emma nodded; getting Jai to say it out loud was important. She needed to be willing to open up if this was going to have any hope of working.

Emma stepped away form the balcony's ledge, walking slowly towards Jai, needing the assassin to no longer perceive her as a threat. As she approached, Jai's features became clearer, the setting sun's glare softening as it dove further below the horizon as if sinking into the ocean's depths.

"Oh my..." she gasped softly. "A resemblance indeed."

"Excuse _me_?" Jai asked harshly.

"It's nothing. I simply see what the others mean."

"What _who_ means?" Jai asked, thinking if one more cryptic remark was made in her presence, someone was going to get personally introduced to her katana.

"No one told you?" Emma asked, clearly interested. "Especially not Logan?"

Jai scowled.

"No. _Especially not Logan." Although I'll have plenty of things to tell _him_. _"What are you talking about?"

Emma hesitated, suddenly unsure if she should proceed. Surely, Logan had to be aware of what everyone else so easily realized when it came to this enigmatic young woman.

"You look like a...former X-man. Someone we lost a while ago. Someone Logan was very close to."

Jai's eyes lit up with the revelation.

_He murdered her...I failed her...on _every_ count..._

_ You never say her name..._

"Wait--I _look_ like _Logan's dead friend?!_ The one the Gorgon murdered a year ago?"

Emma analyzed Jai's reaction to this particular statement intently, letting her mind brush up against the girl's mental barriers, finding them cracking under the strain.

"So he _did _tell you of her?"

"Not that I _looked_ like her! I mean, how close is this anyway? Is it, like, just a passing similarity or _what_?"

****

"I have Jai's DNA running through the computer with various tests and I just received a hit," Beast told Rogue and Bobby by way of explanation.

"Hank, we're aware of _that,_" Rogue intoned, "but what _exactly _is odd?"

"There seems to be carriers on her DNA that shouldn't be there..."

"Hank, you've got another light beeping at you there." Bobby pointed at the corner of the computer screen.

"That's odd--" Hank started again.

"Two odd things in a row?!" Bobby interjected, the intrigue surrounding this curious girl getting the better of him.

Rogue slapped him upside the head.

"Shush, now."

"The carriers are a genetic tools sanctioned by SHIELD..." Hank continued as if no one had uttered a word.

He pulled up the file, scanning intently.

"Oh my stars and garters! It seems that these genetic carriers are signs that the DNA has been tampered with. For..." He clicked his mouse, pulling up a new window.

"Undercover!" Rogue exclaimed. "They change how people look right down to their DNA to hide them?"

"Essentially, yes." Hank responded.

"So--wait," Bobby said. "So then Jai's not really Jai? She could be someone completely different?"

Hank's response was silence as the three X-men absorbed this particular piece of information.

****

"I'd certainly say it's more than just a passing similarity. Change just a few features and you would _be her_."

Jai looked away from the telepath, suddenly very, very uncomfortable in her own skin.

Logan wasn't blind--he had to know. He just didn't want to _acknowledge _it. Which jacked up her worry meter beyond all normal levels.

"He feels guilty over her death, huh?" Jai asked, going over every detail in her head that Logan had told her about his dead friend.

"_That_, Jai, would be the understatement of the year."

"Do you think that's the only reason he's helping me?" she whispered. Jai understood he was making peace with the past. What she didn't know, was just how expendable she'd become once Wolverine achieved said peace. And how much did it have to do with who she was under the face she didn't recognize compared to the ghost that was constantly haunting Logan?

"Would it matter?" the older woman countered.

_I guess it would matter if that's why he was sleeping with me or if that's why he was familiar to me._ The thought was formed before Jai had realized it and she glanced quickly at Emma to see if the telepath had picked up on it.

The look on the White Queen's otherwise emotionless face said all that Jai dreaded.

_Son of a freakin' bitch. _That thought came and went before she could stop it too.

Emma wisely chose to ignore the reference to Jai's recent sexual encounter and focused on the particularly interesting tidbit of Jai _recognizing_ Wolverine.

"He's familiar to you?"

Jai looked away.

"This could be important. This could be _vital_," Emma pressed.

"I was there when he was murdered and turned to stone by the Gorgon. At least I think I was. Anyway, he doesn't recognize my scent so what could it matter?"

Emma renewed her telepathic efforts.

_Let's find out, shall we? _

Jai's eyes widened with the realization the voice was coming from _in_ _her head_, as opposed to the traditional auditory methods.

_Now, Jai, try to focus on what exactly about Logan is familiar to you. Can you do that for me?_

An unstoppable rush of images flooded Jai's mind, all of Logan, and _all_ were from memories that Jai didn't consider proper for telepathic consumption.

_Wait--no! Stop it!_ Jai used every trick she knew to force all of her considerable willpower into the solitary image of reinforced steel doors slamming shut, locking out any possible invaders.

Emma rocked back in her telepathic heels, first stunned by the flood of Wolverine through the viewpoint of his lover, and then by the strength behind Jai's mental shielding. She felt along the steel door for cracks and weak points. With just a slight burst of telepathic strength, she could force her way through easily, as Jai was a simple layman, but Emma was still impressed with the girl's ability to shield. If someone wasn't actively looking to get into the girl's brain, Emma suspected Jai would simply slip by telepathic awareness.

Jai opened her eyes to the real world, only to find night fast approaching and Emma's cold features difficult to see clearly.

"Okay..." Emma began. "Let's try a different track perhaps."

"Must we?" Jai asked with pure venom. Her hand casually dropped to her side, fingers twitching with the need to liberate her hidden knife and bury it in the telepath's throat.

Emma ignored the mental image of her dying at the assassin's hand and took on the practiced tone of a teacher dealing with a recalcitrant student.

"Do you _want_ to retrieve your lost memories?"

Jai couldn't help but adopt a petulant sneer. _Something_ about this pretentious woman rubbed her the wrong way.

Emma accepted her silence as acquiescence.

****

"So...just how different are we talking here, Hank?" Rogue asked intently. "I mean, if you change a person at that level..."

"It could be quite drastic." Hank responded, taking in Rogue and Bobby's shocked expressions. "She could be black or white rather than Asian. She could be blonde, she could be anything."

"How the hell is she going to remember who she is, if she doesn't even look like herself in the mirror?" Bobby asked.

"She's not," Rogue answered. "That could be the point."

"It's the single most effective hiding method in the world," Hank said emphatically. "If anyone had been trying to find her for _any_ reason..."

"Can't find a needle in the haystack if the needle suddenly turns into hay." Rogue finished.

"Do you know if Emma's with her now?" Hank asked.

Rogue checked her watch.

"S'far as I know, she should be back by now."

****

_Emma, there's something you need to know._

The White Queen picked up on the broadcasting aimed for her before starting again with Jai.

_Yes, Henry?_

_ Jai's DNA has been altered to change her physical appearance. If she's expecting to recognize her own face anytime soon, she'll be sorely disappointed._

That _is most intriguing. Can you figure out what her original DNA is?_

_ Working on it now. It will take time._

_ Let me know when you're finished._

"Helloooo?" Jai asked contemptuously. "Is that the best you've got?"

Emma refocused on her subject, narrowing her sky-blue eyes in irritation.

"Of course not. As I was saying, let's try something different. This time, I don't want you to focus on anything specific--"

_"That's_ a relief."

"--Just clear your mind, as if in meditation. I trust your capable of that?"

Jai eyed her suspiciously and then let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. Gimme a sec."

Jai turned away from Emma and walked over to the balcony's edge. She determinedly shut her eyes, and sucked in the salty air with a conscious effort. After several practiced breaths, her training took over, allowing her body to relax and her mind to clear.

After several minutes passed, Jai frowned, wondering when Emma was going to begin.

She opened her eyes only to find the balcony and the sea gone entirely.

She stood alone in a dark space with no reference point.

"Emma?" she asked quietly.

"Still behind you."

Jai hesitated to turn around and face the telepath as she took in the woman's voice. It _felt_ like she was hearing with her ears, rather than inside her head.

"Where are we?"

"Your mind," she replied simply.

Jai scoffed.

"Are you tryin' to make a point about a blank slate or somethin'?" Jai asked, turning to face the White Queen.

The stark white of her uniform was startling in the dark space.

Emma dropped her jaw in shock as Jai spun to face her.

"What? What is it?"

"Is this--is this the mental image you have of yourself?!" The normally composed telepath stammered.

_Did I somehow do this? _Emma thought privately to herself. _Am I subconsciously affecting the process?_

_ "_What are you talking about?"

"This isn't...the same as your physical appearance, Jai..." Emma started carefully.

"It's not?" Jai asked, looking down at her hands as if they were hiding the secret to who she was.

Emma conjured a long oval mirror in front of the girl, holding her breath in anticipation, her heart thundering in her chest so insistently, she was completely aware of her physical response despite telepathically being in someone else's mind.

Jai's narrow blue eyes widened in revelation.

"The girl," she whispered, raising one slender hand to her reflection. Her mirrored self copied her perfectly--with the exception of _multi-colored sparks_ dancing excitedly at the mirrored fingertips.

Emma suppressed the urge to grab Jub--Jai by the narrow shoulder and shake the memories out of her.

_She's not there yet, _the logical side of her brain said, while her emotional side was positively _screaming_ with a tumult of shock, joy, and disbelief.

"What girl?" Emma asked through clenched teeth, barely holding back on the name.

"From my nightmares," Jai said quietly. "The one he brainwashed. The one he made _murder_ an innocent girl on that ship..."

She trailed off as if chasing down a stray thought. Emma stared as a door swirled into existence behind Jai.

"Do you know who she was?" Emma asked, leading.

Panicking sapphire eyes met diamond-blue.

"Me. She's me. _He stole my face_!" Jai screamed while collapsing to the ground, only to have the whole world tilt, and the darkness shift, and Emma's eyes widened as she realized why the darkness was suddenly _moving_.

Black shrouded bodies holding glinting steel.

"Jai! It's the mindblocks! You have to fight them!"

Emma sprinted towards her brainwashed former student, knowing she was going to have to do more than just fight, she was going to have to find a way through the newly formed door to herself.

"Jai! Jai!" Emma grabbed the girl's shoulders as the mass of ninjas bore down on them. She threw up a mental shield at the last second, realizing Jai was cowering under an onslaught of an _empathic_ attack as well.

Fear swelled in Jai, a keen despair taking her over.

"Jai, you _are not alone!"_ Emma shouted while sending out a more personal telepathic connection to the younger girl, forcing Jai to feel her _own_ tumultuous and confusing emotions.

Jai gasped, like she was breathing for the first time after a prolonged torture and climbed unsteadily to her feet. It was difficult to feel abandoned when she could feel all the complex emotions of the other person occupying her head.

"What the hell are you so shocked and happy about?" the assassin asked.

It was taking _all_ of Emma's considerable concentration and willpower to clamp down on the actual logical thoughts and information behind her crazed emotions.

"All in due time. Now, you have to _fight this_." Emma insisted.

"How? With _what? _I don't have my katana with me exactly."

The swarm of Hand ninjas beat away at Emma's mental shielding relentlessly.

"It's _your_ mind, darling. Whatever you picture having, you can _have_, although I'd suggest something more than simple sword." Emma poured her telepathic strength through their shared connection, wanting Jai to have the power behind any mental conjuring she thought up.

Jai's sapphire eyes lit up with a startling freedom at the same time her hands started to _glow._

Emma had just enough time to gasp before powerfully bright fireworks _exploded_ out form the young woman, shattering Emma's shield and sweeping through the veiled warriors like they were ghosts from a dream. They disappeared back into the darkness as the flash from Jai's paff faded away into nothingness.

The girl turned to face a stunned White Queen, an almost casual expression on her familiar features.

"Now what?"

Emma stood up slowly, feeling as if the ground was still spinning underneath her telepathic feet. She delicately cleared her throat.

"The door. You need to go through the door."

Emma pointed.

Jai strode towards the door purposefully as Emma watched after her intently.

It was a strong, beautiful mahogany wood, the design classic and utterly familiar.

Every door in the mansion had looked like this one, Emma realized.

Jai gripped the doorknob like it was a weapon, struggling to make it turn one way or another and ineffectually banging on it with a glowing fist when it didn't relent.

"Damnit!" She paffed the door to no avail.

"Take a breath," Emma advised. "Think it through. You're very, very close."

"Can't _you_ just break it down?"

"This needs to be done properly. If I blast through the door, I could inadvertently take out a few memories with it."

Sapphire eyes narrowed. She turned to study the door, feeling along the wood.

"It...it needs something. Something simple. Something personal..."

Jai pinned Emma with a glare.

"My name--I need to know my _name._"

Emma stood still as stone and could feel the door whisper to Jai suggestively. She clamped down on her emotions, restraining from the urge to shift to diamond.

"You know it," Jai accused.

"Do I?" Emma asked.

"_Yes._ I can see it on your face. I can _feel_ it." Jai sent her eagerness back along the psychic link as if to prove how she knew Emma held the key to unlocking the door.

Emma glanced at the door. If saying her name now really would be the key to opening it, would it matter which one of them said it aloud?

She walked up to the door, her gloved hand landing on the doorknob. Whispered bits of conversation and memories zinged through Emma as she gripped the knob.

"Emma, please."

Jai placed her hand over the White Queen's; the student asking the teacher for one last answer.

Emma looked into the haunting bright blue eyes, seeing far into the past, remembering the sparks and the smiles.

_"Jubilation,"_ she whispered.

The door gently opened.

**FINALLY!!! FINALLY!!! Do you have _any_ idea how many times I accidentally started to type out Jubilee instead of Jai?! _Any idea?_ Phew! Well, I hope you all enjoyed this part--I know it's been a loooong time coming! There's still much to do--Jubilee needs to tell Logan, face the Gorgon, and get her face back. This isn't as close to the end as you might think!!**


	22. Chapter 22

**My apologies for the long wait. Unfortunately, writer's block strikes when you least expect it. Everything will be flowing beautifully and then BAM! Nothing comes out the way you want it to. I hope the worst is over and the next installment will be up sooner rather than later. Thanks for hanging in there:)**

As delicately as the door opened, Emma was stunned by the emotional tidal wave fueled by Jubilee's revelation. The force hit her with a powerful and all consuming blast of memory and emotion. Time seemed to halt on the edge of the world as Emma's entire existence consisted of the roiling consciousness of her former student. Jubilee's regained memories lit up in her brain like a giant, blinding, incendiary firework and the memory-wave was eventually enough to toss her out Jubilee's mind completely.

Emma could feel the steel doors clamp down again, locking everyone and everything else out.

The White Queen opened her eyes, letting the rock-hard coolness of diamond steal over her, shutting her off from any continued emotional backlash.

Jubilee was crouched on the balcony, her hands desperately grabbing at her skull as if she might yank the memories back out of her.

She moaned low in her throat and forced herself upright, swaying slightly.

"Jubilee?" Emma asked, hesitantly, hopefully.

"Emma." It was a statement rather than a question, as if the young woman was labeling her with a newly retrieved memory. A few heartbeat's later, a _very_ familiar expression overtook her altered features.

Agonized rage twisted her face.

"They_ switched _my body! They _Psylocked me! _Emma, they murdered me, they _fucking murdered me...!"_

Emma winced in sympathy, knowing that if Jubilee were still capable, the entire sky would be lit up in expressive, explosive fireworks as Jubilee vented her horror and frustration.

"Jubilation--"

"AAAuuugggh!"

Jubilee threw her head back, her tiny hands fisting at her sides as she screamed.

Emma rushed her, using her diamond-induced strength to pin the smaller woman against the balcony door, wanting to cut off her enraged cry before she brought all the X-men down on them at once.

"Jubilee, you must--" Emma stopped short, startled to find a blade trying urgently to get intimately aquatinted with her windpipe--her diamond skin holding it at bay.

"Killing me _will not_ help you, Jubilee! We have to go see Hank!"

Emma looked into _Jai's_ chocolate brown eyes, seeing a dull, simmering anger and nothing of the girl she used to know. Realization came slowly, followed by sanity, as Jubilee looked at Emma, truly_ seeing _her, and then her eyes darted to the knife she was holding to Emma's throat.

She slowly lowered the weapon, absorbing Emma's reasonable plea.

"Hank...Hank can help me?"

"_Yes_, Jubilee. He's working on it _now_."

Emma watched as a fresh, new horror dawned on her.

"Ohmygod--_LOGAN!"_

All vestiges of the assassin drained away and Emma watched the old Jubilation Lee fully return as she digested the entirety of her situation. Her eyes widened and filled with shocked, desperate tears, and both small, formerly lethal hands covered her mouth in profound shock as she dropped her knife.

"Yes, well, that _is _an interesting twist..." Emma started lamely as Jubilee gathered herself enough to utilize her infamous glare.

The White Queen noted that it was more provocative with her sapphire eyes than her brown, but her ire was so _intense_ that Jubilee more than made up for it.

"_Interesting? __**Interesting? **_That's the best you've fucking got, Frost?" she wailed. "This is way fucking beyond interesting--I'm _probably going to lose him after this. _He's not going to want to have _anything_ to do with me."

"Let's try not to get ahead of ourselves, Jubilation. I'm sure both you and Logan are capable of moving beyond a, a...one night stand...when you _both_ thought you were someone else. I dare say, he'll simply be glad to know you're _alive._ He took your death...very badly," Emma finished, wondering what Jubilee had learned about the aftermath of her death since she had come into contact with Logan again as Jai the assassin.

The girl slumped to the floor, all the fight taken out of her by shock.

"He made me kill them all, Emma," she whispered hoarsely. She shut her eyes tight in agony. "I'm a _murderer._"

"You were brainwashed, Jubilee," she responded softly. "You didn't know _who you were._ There's a difference."

The girl responded with uncharacteristic silence and _that_ more than anything produced a slight panic in Emma. She knelt down to Jubilee's level, letting her skin morph back to flesh, and opening up her telepathy. However, Jubilee had completely shut down, her curiously strong shields all back in place. There was no way for Emma to pick up on her thoughts without crossing a severe ethical line.

"Jubilee? Let's go talk to Hank, okay? Jubilee?"

Eventually, Jubilee allowed Emma to help her stand back up and walk her towards the door.

_Henry, we're on our way to you._

_""""""_

The trio stared at the screen in shock.

Bobby was the first to break the silence.

"Is--is this for real? Hank? If this is a joke..._dude_ it is a _terrible _one."

"I ran the information through _three times_," Hank insisted quietly. "This is no mistake."

"_My lord--"_ Rogue exclaimed, tears of disbelief welling in her emerald eyes as they all stared at Hank's widescreen monitor and the familiar face held within it's metal frame.

"What the fuck are you doing, Beast?" a dark voice growled behind them.

All three spun in startled surprise to face the newcomer.

"Logan!" Rogue exclaimed. "Um, we were just--" she looked to Hank for his help and scientific expertise.

"Logan, I think you should sit down--" Hank halted, his amber cat-like eyes losing their focus. "Oh dear, this is about to gain yet another level of complexity."

"Huh?" Bobby asked.

Wolverine growled.

"Emma and Jubi--they're on they're back down to the lab." He finished lamely. "Allow me a moment, please."

Beast made a bee-line for the door.

"What, you have something more important to do?" Iceman asked, his voice finding another octave.

The door slid home and Beast was gone.

Logan glared accusingly at Rogue and Iceman.

"""""

Hank intercepted them in the corridor.

"Emma! Were you...successful?"

Emma pointedly looked to Jai in lieu of an answer.

Jai smiled hesitantly, delicately, tears running down her pale cheeks.

"Hey, Hank. Long time, no see...huh?"

Hank hesitated for a breath, before sweeping the young woman off her feet and into an exhilarated spin. He sat her back down, taking her all in, focusing more on the familiar spark of friendship he found in her eyes rather than the unknown features smiling up at him.

"My dearest _Jubilation_, words _cannot_ express how utterly happy I am to see you--er--alive!"

She grinned her best grin despite the tumult going on inside her, and patted his shoulder in reassurance.

"I get whatchya mean, Blue, trust me. Look...there _has_ to be something you can do about this, right? You _have _to help me!" she implored gesturing to herself in general.

"Fear not, Jubilee, I believe there is a solution to your rather unusual dilemma."

"Really?" she asked in a small, hopeful voice. "Really, really? I'm not going to be stuck like Betsy was? Cause I _like_ my own body, Hank. I want to _be_ _me_ again."

"I dare say you will, Jubilee," he said reverently.

Jubilee took a step back from Hank and Emma, closing her eyes in relief. She needed a moment to appreciate the hope, the reassurance in Hank's warm, jovial voice. He would help her. It would be okay. She would be _herself_ again and _somehow_ life would return to normal. And right now, all normal meant was recognizing herself in the damn mirror when she woke up in the morning.

Jubilee opened her eyes again, only to feel all the blood drain from her face as the floor dropped out from under her.

He stood behind Hank, _realization_ evident in his ragged features. His whole body tensed like he was preparing for attack.

"_Logan,"_ Jubilee breathed.

Hank and Emma stiffened, observing the duo intently.

"We will, of course, give you a moment," Hank started. "Jubilee, there are a few calls I urgently need to make, but you should come see me soon so that I can make sure all the necessary medical tests check out. Then I'll be able to explain what exactly happened to you."

Jubilee nodded mutely, unable to take her eyes off the shorter man, her emotions numbed and suspended.

Hank gestured to Emma and they both headed back towards his lab.

_Oh god, oh god, oh god,_ Jubilee thought, some _very_ unhelpful memories from the last few days coming to the forefront of her brain. _He's going to freak out and run. I'm finally back and I'm me and now I have no idea how we're going to be able to deal with this._

"You died," Wolverine said gruffly, stupidly. "Right in front of me. There was nothing--_there was nothing I could do_. And I lost you. _I lost you._"

"I-I know. I remember now."

Jubilee hesitantly took a step towards him.

"It's really you?" he asked, hope, suspicion, want, and anguish all warring with each other on his world-wary face.

"It's really me."

"Your memories?"

"Back. All of them."

"What the hell did they _do to you?_"

"I don't really know. Emma--she says---that Hank can help."

He nodded, his face a more incomprehensible mask than if he was in full combat gear with his inscrutable cowl.

"You should--go see Hank."

Jubilee was shocked by how quickly the numbness was crowded out by despair.

He turned to walk away from her and Jubilee suddenly found herself closing the distance between them, her small hand desperately gripping his powerful forearm. The muscle was absolutely quivering with repressed tension.

The words flowed out of her in an unstoppable rush.

"Logan--I'm sorry! I'm _so _sorry! I just--I didn't know! And _you_ didn't know! And if I could take it back--!"

She cut herself off just as quickly as she started.

_And if I could take it back I would?_

All the hopeless desperation in the world couldn't make Jubilee finish _that_ lie. She'd die before she took it back. And she'd already died once.

"I'm...just...sorry," Jubilee whispered, letting him go and stepping back.

"Look, darlin', I need to...clear my head. I'll come find you later."

"You will?"

He wouldn't look at her. His gaze dropped down to the floor, denying her that connection. The brazen, willful Wolverine that taunted her senses and her memories of the last few days was nowhere to be found.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll come find you later," he quietly promised.

At least, she _hoped_ it was a promise.

Jubilee stood frozen, watching him walk away from her as tears ran down her face in a continuos silent stream.

After what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, she wiped the wetness from her alien face and stiffly turned back towards Hank's laboratory and to what she fervently hoped was the way back to herself.

"""""

Strong arms from both sides encircled Jubilee as she stepped through the doorway. If it wasn't for the memory flash produced by Rogue's favorite perfume, Jubilee would have given into instinct and lashed out for vulnerable flesh and pressure points.

"She may have returned from the dead, but she still needs to _breath_," Hank said in a dry voice.

Rogue and Bobby reluctantly stepped away from her, huge grins nearly splitting their faces in half.

"Jubes, it is _so _good to see you!" Bobby said, his boyish face lit up with renewed hope and pleased shock.

Fighting back tremulous cries, Rogue simply grasped Jubilee's face in her ungloved hands, the smooth, warm feel of her skin bringing renewed tears to Jubilee's brown eyes.

"Welcome home, Jubilee," Rogue whispered, her southern drawl thickened by emotion. "You have been missed_ terribly_."

"Hey, Rogue. Bobby. I missed you guys too!" Jubilee was pleased to find she could get the words passed her tightening throat.

"I should hope so," Bobby responded lightly. "I like to think of myself as missable."

Jubilee rewarded him with a ghost of a smile, then turned with wonder towards Rogue.

"Your powers..."

"Yeah, sugah. We got a lot to catch up on--we will, don't you worry!"

She swallowed the remainder of her tears, joy and despair warring within her. She didn't have time for either one.

"So...Hank, what do you need from me?"

"A larger blood sample," he responded promptly. "Jubilee, believe it or not, this _is _your body. It is still _you._ You have not been body-switched, like our dear formerly British Ninja. Instead, you've been introduced to a very powerful form of gene therapy--one that is known to SHIELD and a young woman by the name of Daisy Johnson is on the way to us, at this very moment, with the cure."

Jubilee took a breath and very quickly found a seat, as her legs began to shake.

"Just like that?" she asked, not daring to believe.

"Well, technically we need to take the blood sample from you and then examine all the specific differences in you genetic sequence from the one we have on file and--"

"Hank," Bobby said warningly, giving his best friend, the You're The Only Scientist In the Room Look.

"Um...right, of course. Yes, Jubilee 'just like that' more or less. Plus a few hours of lab time on my part to specify the cure to your genetic structure, but before the day is out, you'll be recognizable to all and sundry."

Jubilee smiled her appreciation then narrowed her eyes in angry suspicion.

"Wait just a damn minute! If this _gene therapy_ you found is _known_ to SHIELD why the fucking hell didn't they pick up on this in the first place?" she yelled.

"As far as I know, the procedure is kept highly classified and not in their usual gamut of tests," Hank responded levelly.

"Well, it's _obviously_ not as _highly _classified as they fucking think it is!"

"Well, _that_ assumption has certainly been cleared up, Jubilation," Emma interjected.

"Nick Fury and I are _still_ going to have a _conversation _about his definition of 'highly classified'," Jubilee insisted hotly.

"No one here would expect any less from you," Emma said, her lips twitching slightly towards a smile. "Now, Henry, you should begin."

The automatic steel door _whooshed_ behind Jubilee, and she found herself catching her breath, hoping it was Wolverine come back.

However, Cyclops entered with Storm and Gambit at his heels.

He nodded at the group in general, then focused on Emma and Jubilee.

"Jai, this is Ororo Munroe, aka Storm and the Queen of Wakanda. And this is Remy Lebeau or Gambit. So. How does the memory retrieval go? Cause I need you at Cerebra, Emma."

Stunned silence met his business-like request.

"What is it?" Scott asked, taking in the X-men's expressions and Jai' paper-white face. "What did we miss?"


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm back! (Finally, I know) Anyway, your support has been AMAZING. Thank you, oh, so much for your patience; I really am terribly sorry for the long wait. Usher, Wolverette, yulian, nileena, Elizabeth, Reality Assassin, LifeBringsMeOnlyTears, Jade Wildcat, Fionn the Otaku, Samantha, Proud to be an X-nerd, Sabretooth1973-some of you long-time readers, some of you new-and yet more out there subscribing to the story-THANKS FOR READING:)**

Jubilee smiled despite herself, wondering if a person could be smothered to death by enthusiastic hugging and figured there were certainly worse ways to go.

Storm's sweeping embrace lifted Jubilee off her feet all over again and was so _achingly_ maternal that it brought tears _again_ and left her with a wistful sense of missing Jean.

Gambit damn near cracked a rib.

Even Scott, even Cyclops, the ever-stoic, ever fearless leader, surprised her by squeezing the air right out of her.

"Geez, Summers, I'm gonna have bruises!"

"Jubilee-_thank God! _It's just-it's just so _good_ to get one of us _back_ for a change!"

_Is it me or is his voice raspy with emotion?_ Jubilee wondered.

"Trust me, Scooter. It's good to _be back,"_ she said with fervor.

He grinned one of his old I-still-believe-in-the-dream grins of a younger man before regaining his composure.

"Look, Jubilee, I hate to welcome you back from the dead and run..."

"No worries, really. Emma's free to Cerebra it up with you."

"And what about..." Scott gestured to her face, indicating her less than "jubilant" features.

"Hank's got me," Jubilee promised.

"Of course he does." Scott turned back to Storm and Gambit.

"I'm stayin' with the p'tite." Gambit insisted.

Scott nodded in understanding.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Jubilation," Storm promised warmly and preceded Emma and Scott out of the lab.

Jubilee refocused all of her formidable and eager attention on Hank.

"Do what you will with me, Doc!"

Several hours later found Jubilee obediently sipping her orange juice and quickly decided she was liking Daisy Johnson less and less. After Hank acquired all the blood he needed of her-leaving her feeling like a woozy pin cushion-and with express orders to drink her weight in orange juice and eat more twinkies before she passed out, Jubilee decisively narrowed her eyes at the girl she was coming to regard as Nick Fury's Floozy.

"The Gorgon, huh? Damn, Nick was right-that is about as bad as it can get."

Having shown up with the required serum formula to return Jubilee back to her sapphire-eyed self, Jubilee felt the least she could do was let Daisy in on all the intel she hadn't been able to pick out of her brainwashed mind before. The questioning process, however, was becoming exhausting and overwhelming and Jubilee was quite sick of flapping her jaw in an effort to relive her traumatized last year in vivid detail.

Gambit, bless him, recognized the pained look in her eyes and finally intervened on her behalf.

"Alright, den, chere. How's about we give it a break, non?"

"Yeah, but-" Daisy protested, to which Gambit bodily grabbed her arm and rather forcefully persuaded her to leave her seat and go stand by Hank.

"That's enough for now. You'll get all the information you need."

Rogue gave the overly-eager girl an emerald-ice stare and took Daisy's vacated stool next to Jubes, with Remy standing over her.

Daisy stayed put near the good Doctor, who, for his part, made an effort to engage her in light conversation about the genetic enhancing procedure Jubilee was about to undergo the second time in her life.

Unfortunately, this situation put Rogue at just the right angle to spy a curios bruise where Jubilee's neck met her shoulder. The mark was a livid purple thing, hiding behind black locks and as Rogue moved her ungloved hand to sweep Jubilee's hair back, teeth marks where clearly revealed.

"Good Lord, Jubes, what on earth happened to you there?" Rogue exclaimed as Jubilee felt her face go scarlet.

"Um, it's nothing, really."

Inwardly, she groaned.

_Wow, what an utterly lame-ass response. I mean seriously, what the hell happened to my coveted skills as a grade-A liar? I know they must be in my mutilated mind somewhere..._

Rogue and Remy gave her identical expressions of sardonic disbelief as Jubilee winced. The inevitable dawning of realization crossed their faces at nearly the same second.

Rogue gasped softly, her eyes searching Jubilee's face intently.

Jubilee shrank in on herself, desperately grasping for a plausible explanation that would tell away Wolverine's love bite.

But, his absence spoke volumes to their long-time friends.

"Oh my God..." Rogue concluded, as Gambit let out a heartfelt "_Merde!"_

"Things got a little...complicated," Jubilee whispered, clamping down on the swell of emotion and barely keeping it at bay.

"I will kill da bastard," Gambit said flatly.

Jubilee spied Hank's frozen frame in the background, his cat-ears alert and twisted towards them.

_Damn heightened senses the world over,_ Jubilee thought.

She glared Remy down, her jaw clenched tightly over the words, "Not. Now."

He seemed to struggle with his outrage, ruby-black eyes flashing dangerously. But, he acquiesced, nodding stiffly at Jubilee.

Hank chose that strategic moment to intervene. Intervention of awkward situations was very quickly becoming his secondary directive, it seemed.

"Eureka!"

Rogue and Remy turned towards Hank at his exclamation, their faces eager with suspense. Jubilee wasn't the only one aching to see her back as herself.

"I do believe the formula is complete and ready to be administered."

"_Fi-NALLY!" _Jubilee responded, in true fashion of her former impatient self.

"Indeed," Beast agreed. "However, first, we need to explain the bad news."

Jubilee's face fell.

"Bad news? There's bad news? I feel like my whole life is bad news right now, Hank."

Hank sighed in sympathy.

"Yes, well. Let's focus on the part where you're alive, back with us, and have all your memories regained, hmm?"

Jubilee narrowed her eyes as Hank turned back to Daisy.

"You're up, Miss Johnson."

Daisy nodded hesitantly, her eagerness greatly diminished.

"Right. Well, the thing about this procedure, Jai-I mean Jubilee-is that...you can't be given anything that might...disrupt...the process. Like painkillers."

"I'm going to be wishing I had an illegal-level dosing of drugs for this event, aren't I?" Jubilee asked, as apprehension rose within her.

Daisy nodded in chagrin.

"Look, I'm not going to sugar-coat if for you," she said in a way that was overly reminiscent of Fury. "It's going to hurt like holy fucking hell and you're going to want to die for about five minutes straight. But, then it'll all be over."

Jubilee visibly paled.

"Wonderful. Five minutes of inexplicable pain. Got it."

She determinedly turned towards Hank.

"Let's get this over with, Blue."

The concern on his face made Jubilee more nervous than she cared to admit.

"Jubilee, perhaps if you gave me a few more days I could come up with a solution-"

"Trust me, Dr. McCoy. SHIELD _tried_," Daisy interrupted. "It's just going to plain suck. Unless, of course, she want's to stay this way?"

Jubilee's eyes flashed. To remain trapped in this strange imitation of herself that the Gorgon forced on her? She'd rather endure hours of torture, to say nothing of a mere five minutes.

"_Fuck that,"_ she said succinctly, making Hank's brows shoot up with her harsh language. "Let's do this, Hank."

He hesitated, his eyes narrowing. He turned towards the open lab door, sensing something the others were incapable of noticing.

"Perhaps everyone would like to join us _in_ the laboratory before we get started?" Hank questioned.

Jubilee felt her breath hitch as Wolverine stalked through the door, an especially infuriated glare taking over his ragged features.

Gambit hissed and Rogue shushed him.

"Lurking, Logan?" she asked, her face pale, her throat dry.

"Came ta check on ya," he said, the words almost lost behind an inhuman growl. "Can't believe what the fuckin' bastard did ta ya."

_So he's been listening in for a while now, _she thought.

"Well you showed up just in time for the fun part."

He ground his teeth, his knuckles going white.

Daisy, the bringer of the overly painful cure, prudently placed Hank between herself and the hulking feral.

Jubilee eyed his fists, wondering if he'd be able to maintain his control, a small part of her pleased to see him so incensed at her inevitable pain. Having him be in "protective mode" somehow made the rest easier to deal with. It was timeless and familiar.

"She doesn't need this right now, Logan," Hank said evenly. "Maintain your temper or I'm kicking you out of my lab."

Jubilee quirked her lip in a ghost of a smile.

"S'okay." She gave Beast a look. "Really."

Jubilee gestured for Wolverine to come closer.

He walked towards the bed she occupied, close enough to touch her, but refraining from such contact.

"Just stand there and try not to do something drastic, huh?"

She saw wry humor flash through Logan's eyes, despite his anger.

"Okay, Beast. It's now or never."

Hank eyed her intently, looking for just the faintest doubt.

Jubilee met his gaze calmly, determinedly.

Her pale face and anxious scent showed her nervousness, but she was resolute.

"Your arm please, Jubilation."

She offered him the requested limb and Hank pricked the needle home before he lost his nerve, sending the offensive genetic cocktail straight into her blood stream.

Hank pulled the needle out, and wrapped her arm up in gauze and hot pink stretchy medical banding.

Jubilee bit her lip nervously, watching him work and holding her breath against the inevitable onslaught. There was no turning back now.

Every eye in the room focused on her, waiting to see some visible change.

After a few minutes, Jubilee frowned.

"Hank, are you sure you-AAUUGGH!"

Her scream rent the silent air, it's high pitch echoing off the walls.

Logan and Hank pounced on her at the same time, trying desperately to keep struggling, straining limbs held down to the bed as Jubilee screamed and thrashed, her pain crawling though her like a live venomous creature. It sang along her bloodstream, enticing every nerve-ending like fire and ice together. It saturated her muscles, ached deep in her morrow, burned her eyes until salty, bloody tears ran down her cheeks relentlessly.

Logan growled in agonized sympathy as he scented her blood-_her _blood-_Jubilee's_ unforgettable scent-in the air as she bit clean through her bottom lip.

"_Beast, what the fuck?" _he howled.

_"Hold her down or she could cause more damage!" _Beast insisted, yelling over her anguished cries.

"_Goddammit!"_ Wolverine growled-he was holding her hard enough to bruise her and she showed no signs of abating.

Gambit entered the fray in an effort to help as Jubilee struggled against the enemy that was coursing through her body, bringing excruciating agony though every millimeter of her flesh.

"_MERDE! Dis is takin too damn long!"_ Remy shouted.

His scarlet eyes and been watching the clock tick away the interminable seconds until Jubilee's torture would end.

Five minutes came and went.

She screamed until her throat bled.

Jubilee wanted to die.

She knew nothing but the darkness and the agony and all she _truly_ desired was death.

She frantically tried to put voice to this dearest wish, but her throat, her mouth, her tongue all refused to cooperate, locked in an endless scream that seemed to tear her apart from the inside.

She tasted blood. And vomit.

She _knew_ she had to be dying, _knew_ she was being consumed by angry, unquenchable fire, but _how could it take so long?_

Eventually, Jubilee knew nothing at all.

Simply put, Scott Summers was **_furious_**.

Emma had caught the wave of unspeakable agony while hooked into Cerebra, her painful cry ripping right into his guts with it's ferocity as he moved forward to release her from the connection and catch her as she fell.

Rogue had reached him a few minutes later, her face deathly pale, begging for _any_ kind of help.

But, there was no help to be given. Scott could do nothing. Emma couldn't telepathically break through to shut off pain receptors. Hank couldn't push drugs for risk of interrupting the delicate yet excruciating process of genes altering.

Scott had been left standing in the background, his anger rising exponentially as Jubilee screamed and screamed and _screamed_. Hank and Wolverine strapped her down, their hands having already left bruises on her skin. She vomited blood and bile, forcing them to cut the straps so she could be rolled on her side before she aspirated.

Jubilee had writhed again and Wolverine accidently broke a rib in his effort to hold her still, his own voice crying out in a frustration that was _dangerously_ close to his berserker rage.

She had cried blood.

She had screamed till her voice was an echo and the room ached with deafening silence.

Scott's anger had grown until it was a palpable force and he visibly shook with the effort to rein it in. However, his anger was _easily_ eclipsed by Wolverine's rage and Scott was quite certain Logan's sanity was hanging by a _very_ tenuous thread that could snap at any heartbeat. And when it did, it was a simple fact that someone was going to die.

At that particular moment, the likely candidate appeared to be poor Daisy Johnson, Agent of SHIELD. This threat was so dire that Nick Fury himself had called Cyclops in an effort to stave off the murderous rage focused on his hapless protege.

Cyclops now stood in the ready room flanked by an equally furious White Queen and an outraged Beast, the three of them looking as if they had just survived the ninth circle of hell.

"So she's alive, then?" Nick asked, his voice all business and absent of any emotion.

"Barely," Scott responded, his vizor glowing with the held back power of his optic blast. He had to tell himself-_repeatedly-_that blasting the vid-screen would help absolutely no one and only cause senseless equipment damage.

"Where's Wolverine?"

"With her. You're lucky he's not decorating the walls with Agent Johnson's blood."

"I'm only going to say this one goddamn more time, Summers. It _ain't_ her fault. Mutilating the messenger isn't going to help your girl."

Logically, Scott knew this. Deep down in his emotional core that he kept blocked and hidden, he wanted the tenacious SHIELD Agent and her bullshit "cure" _the hell OFF his island._

"I want an explanation, Colonel Fury," Hank interrupted harshly, all his suave manners forgotten. "I want to know what the _hell_ your so-called-scientists are peddling, because I-"

"Hank," Scott interrupted him.

Hank glowered, but subsided.

"I want you to send a plane for Daisy and get her out of here. I don't want Wolverine seeing her right now."

Nick nodded, acknowledging the wisdom of his request.

"I want you to send Hank a _full_ work-up of this genetic procedure and how-"

"I already know why it went wrong, Scott. The Gorgon got his hands on a scrapped version. It works, but at a high cost."

"That's putting it lightly," Emma muttered darkly.

"Whatever," Scott said. "Send it all to Hank, anyway"

"Scott, it's classified-"

"S_end it or I'll send Wolverine after you_."

Scott took his silence as agreement.

"One more thing, Cyclops. Elektra left a message for Jubilee-"

"She's in no condition to be receiving it. Cyclops out."

Emma cut the connection before the SHIELD Director could say anymore.

"How long until Jubilee's fully recovered, Hank?" Scott asked tightly.

"A few days at least," he responded, wilting now that Fury-the immediate object of his anger-was gone. An overwhelming exhaustion was eating away at the edges of his awareness.

"Possibly longer," he continued. "I sent a message to Madrox, asking that he send Josh our way immediately. Last I heard, they're still out on a mission."

Scott nodded. It wasn't often the resident healer was off-island, but Madrox had gotten his team in a particularly sticky situation and needed all the back up he could get his multiple-hands on.

"Just keep me updated." Scott demanded.

Hank nodded warily, then made his way towards the lab to tend to his brutalized patient.


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, not a terribly long wait this time! Right? You may disagree...Anywho! Here's for jumping right back into it-EmEx and CaptMacKenzie-so glad you're enjoying it! Truly. Wolverette, Nileena, X-Nerd, Reality Assassin, Fionn, angleyes, Jubes2681, WolviesNeko, DarkAngelGuardian-as always, thank you, thank you, thank you-! And now back to poor Jubes...**

Everything hurt abominably.

Everything.

Every muscle, every sinew, every joint and bone. Her eyes burned and stung. An extra deep, sharp ache flared in her side, along her ribs. Her bottom lip was sore and swollen and throbbed in time with her heartbeat.

Jai came back to herself slowly, cataloguing her injuries to the best of her ability. Considering her exceptionally severe pain, it was a difficult process.

_God, what happened to me? Where am I? Does my master have me again?_

Panic erupted through out Jai and only her physical agony and her training kept her from flailing about in the need to discover what was going on around her. Tears formed under her shut lids, increasing the stinging sensation in her eyes.

_Blind. I'm blind. And most likely being _tortured.

Which made perfect sense. She was blinded and wounded to the point of immobility.

It had to be the Gorgon.

_Wait-his name. I never think of him that way..._

Jai clung desperately to this odd, misplaced thought, needing answers and desperate to focus on something other than her pain.

"Jesus, Hank, when the fuck can you give her the damn morphine?" a man asked with snarl.

"We must first ensure the process is complete. Otherwise, we could make matters worse, Logan."

_LOGAN!_

Jubilee couldn't halt her desperate whimper as memories flooded into her abused brain with a rush.

_I know who I am! Wolvie! Logan! It's me, I'm alive!_

Her throat burned, dry and raw, as she tried to force these words out.

"Hank! She's waking up!"

Logan. Hank.

_I'm home-I'm safe._

Relief flooded through Jubilee as this realization hit, acting as a balm to her pain. She reached out, and a large, rough hand enveloped her bandaged, aching palm. Rough fingers brushed away sweat-soaked hair from her brow and Jubilee moaned as she tried to open her burning eyes.

_"Jubilation._" Her own name hand never sounded so damn wonderful. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay, just hang on."

"Jubilee, I need to take another blood sample to test if the genetic alteration is complete. Then I can administer pain meds." Hank's voice sounded warm and comforting and Jubilee reveled in it's familiarity.

She forced her eyes open despite the fiery burning sensation and felt fresh tears run down her face.

"Wh- Hap-ned?"

Jubilee barely registered the needle prick as Hank anxiously gathered his sample.

"SHIELD fucked up," Logan growled and Jubilee noticed his hand shaking in hers; his rage was dangerously close to the surface. "The cocktail they gave Hank didn't work with your condition right-"

Jubilee let out a strangled moan of denial.

"So...I'm not _me?"_

"You're you, darlin'," Logan hurried to reassure her. "Every last inch of you right down to your scent."

Jubilee breathed a sigh of relief and tried to sit up in the same instant, her immediate thoughts to hunt down the nearest mirror and finally see for herself. However, pain blossomed along every nerve and Jubilee couldn't hold back a whimper as she collapsed back on the bed.

"Hank!" Wolverine cried. "Get her the damn meds before I do somethin' we'll _all_ regret later."

Beast was already two steps ahead of Logan, having confirmed that the process was complete, his blue paws handling an IV bag that he was quickly stringing up next to his patient.

"Never fear, Jubilee, relief is on it's way. I'm told the pain will abate on its own over the next several days. You're other injuries, however, will take more time."

"_Other_ injuries?" Jubilee rasped, perturbed. She looked from Wolverine to Hank, the edges of her vision still blurred. "How bad is it? Really?"

"You reopened the cuts on your hands. You bit through your lip and have several stitches, two of your ribs are broken on your left side, and don't be terribly surprised to find blood in your tears for the next few days," Hank responded gravely.

"Crying blood? I'm crying _blood? _There's something poetic about that, I just know there is, but I can't think of it now."

"I take it the morphine is going into effect?"

"If it's not, there must be something else wrong with me...I feel...kinda floaty."

"Thank God for that," Hank responded fervently.

Jubilee gave Hank a slightly drunk smile then turned to her shorter companion.

"Wolvie? Water? My throat's like the Sahara and really freakin' sore." Her ragged voice was testament to this.

He rushed to oblige and Jubilee turned back to Hank.

"Bit through my lip, huh? Ouch. Did I seize or something?"

"The five minutes of...inexplicable pain...lasted longer than expected."

Jubilee narrowed her now-blue-eyes, wishing she could see clearly.

"How long?" she asked sharply.

"Just over two hours. Eventually...you passed out."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

"Ribs too, huh?"

Hank hesitated, and despite her still blurry vision, Jubilee noted that he turned his head in the direction Logan had gone.

"We had to...restrain you and..."

"God, poor Wolvie..." Jubilee whispered.

"To say nothing of your poor ribcage."

Jubilee gave him a knowing look.

"Pfft. That'll heal way faster. What's up with my eyes?"

"They're especially sensitive to the change of color, but will enjoy a full recovery like the rest of your abused body. All you need is time."

"Ugh, Hank, I don't really _have _time. Elektra's gonna move on the Gorgon soon and-"

"You're not going anywhere _near _him," Wolverine let out a savage growl that was oddly juxtaposed by offering Jubilee water.

Jubilee narrowed her eyes at him, but decided now was _not _the time to push him. She gracefully accepted the water, only fully realizing just how thirsty she was once the liquid hit her parched mouth. She focused on draining the glass rather than responding to Logan.

She handed the empty glass back to him.

"I want a mirror. Please."

Hank, suspecting this request, turned to grab a large, hand-held mirror from his desk that Emma had found the time to donate despite the tumult and chaos surrounding Jubilee the last few hours. Jubilee struggled to sit up; the pain was fading into the background, but every muscle she owned had been strained far past endurance when the alteration procedure had wracked her small body. She was too weak to manage on her own.

Strong arms came to her aid, and Jubilee smiled slightly at Logan as he supported her small weight, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder in reassurance.

Hank held the mirror close, aware that Jubilee's vision was not one hundred percent.

"Wow, I look awful." It came out as a croak, further emphasizing her poor state.

"Jubilation, you've just been through a harrowing experience. I assure you everything _will_ return to normal."

Jubilee didn't seem to be listening.

"Ugh, I can even _see_ properly and I look this bad? I didn't now eyes could _be_ this bloodshot."

"Yes, well, it's not every day one cries blood."

Jubilee turned her focus to her bandaged hands.

Wolverine recognized the look of intent concentration.

"Darlin' this didn't reactivate your X-gene..."

"This was never intended to regain your mutant powers. That's impossible and-" Hank started.

"I _know _that," Jubilee cut in, an unusually hard edge to her voice. "I just-I couldn't help but think about it."

"So." Jubilee made an effort to lighten her tone. Too many thoughts, emotions, and realizations where roiling around in her brain and she was having a difficult time choosing which ones to focus on.

_"How_ long till I'm back to my fighting strength?"

Hank sighed, familiar with the look on her face. He had yet to meet an X-patient who _didn't _have that look on their face.

"A _week _at least," he said sternly. "Unless-"

"Unless what?" Jubilee asked anxiously, feeling Logan tense behind her as he continued to hold her up.

"I'm waiting to hear back from young Elixir, if you remember he's a-"

"Healer-thank God! Hank, you let me know the second you hear from him, k?"

"Jubes, darlin', you need rest," Logan protested.

Jubilee shrugged him off, wanting to sit up on her own. He refused to budge. She settled for ignoring his comment.

"The second you hear from him, Hank. I mean it."

Hank eyed Wolverine warily, knowing Logan was desperate to keep the girl safe and that the second she had her feet back under her, Jubilee would quickly find her way into the nearest trouble.

"Of course, but, _now_ you should try and get some rest."

She rolled her eyes, but granted him a nod as Wolverine gently laid her back on the bed.

"I have more samples that I want to analyze, but please don't hesitate to call if you need anything at all, Jubilee. Logan?"

Hank's meaning was clear. His patient required rest and that required her to be alone. In his mind at least.

"No." Jubilee was adamant. "Don't leave."

"Jubilee-" Hank pleaded.

"_No. _Hank, I'm fine. I'll be fine-I can't fall asleep right now anyway."

"Alright. But only for a few minutes," he warned.

Wolverine avoided looking at Hank for this particular exchange. He was torn. He'd rather die than leave her side after the last several hours and all that she had been through. But, now that she was awake, he was at a complete loss as to what to say to her.

Hank left and Logan found himself pinned by a sapphire-blue stare.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her gaze intent and willful.

His jaw dropped.

"Am-am_ I_ okay? Darlin'-"

"Don't you _darlin'_ me, Logan. You look like you're ready to _kill_ something and I'd rather you sit down and talk to me," she said in no-nonsense tone that left him reeling. "If _you_ go off on a rampage while I'm stuck in this bed unable to barley lift a finger, I swear, I'll scream in frustration. _You're_ pissed? Try being in my goddamn shoes for a second!"

Aggrieved, Logan obediently pulled up a stool and plopped his ass down on it.

"Better?" he asked, his eyebrow arching.

She quirked her mouth.

"Yes."

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

The reek of pain clung to her skin and was so strong in the room, he wasn't sure he could read her scent properly. He resisted the urge to bury his nose in her neck and simply breath her in. God, he had missed her particular bouquet of scents. Jasmine in the rain mixed with warm honey. It was soft and delicate and not at all what he would have expected from her when she was younger. The tang of gunpowder mixed in had matched her fiery personality so much better, but there was still a subtle strength to it.

She shrugged stiffly.

"Weak as a kitten. But the pain is finally less. Morphine's my best friend."

"God, Jubes, I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"You wanna know the funny thing? I _remember_ thinking I'd go through hours of torture if it meant I could be myself again. How prophetic is that? I get the feeling that some powerful, other-worldly being doesn't like me very much."

He moved to hold her hand, but hesitated.

"I feel like that most days," he agreed.

She noticed the movement; realized the second he held back, hurt welling in her eyes.

She looked away from him and he instantly regretted it.

_Christ, Logan, stop being such a fucking coward, _he thought.

He grasped her hand lightly, painfully aware of her injuries, remembering how she had sliced her hands to save him.

_It's a shock. Like recognition. Or a ghost, _she had told him.

Despite everything, she had _known _him. Despite the amnesia and the brainwashing, and the year apart, she had known him. And, if Logan was painfully honest with himself, he realized he had known her too. Ever since she had stumbled back into his life, he had been undeniably drawn to her. He had blamed his grief over Jubilee's death for why he wanted to help her as Jai, but he had recognized her spirit all along.

"I want him dead, Logan. And I want to be the one to do it."

Her words brought him jolting back into the present as she forced them both to face an ugly truth.

The last shred of her innocence was dead. She had been made into a warrior by one of their worst enemies and no amount of wishing or regret could take it back.

She turned back to look at him levelly, her eyes kindling a fire he had hoped to never see inside her.

"I'm going to Japan," she stated with determination. "And you can't stop me. But you can come with me."

"Till the end," he had promised. And promised again.

"""""""""""""""""""""""

Elixir came with the dawn. He had been teleported in, still exhausted and drained from the X-factor mission, a determined Monet dragging him through Shatterstar's portal to the aid of her formerly dead teammate. The super-powered, super-perfect young woman had burst into Hank's lab, telepathically calling to all upon their arrival only to find her invulnerable self pinned by the Wolverine's overzealous claws.

"Wolverine," she said calmly. "We're here to help."

Her words broke through his protective rage as the X-men once again descended on Hank's lab as the aid Jubilee so desperately needed limped to her bedside.

Now, weary and slightly dizzy, the golden boy leaned up against the wall in Hank's lab, looking up at the doctor with dull, tired eyes.

"I fear we overwork you, young man," Hank said with sympathy.

"Uh, yeah. That would be an understatement. But, it's all good."

"You have our most sincere gratitude, Josh."

"I always like to help. Really. And now I'd like to sleep, but whatever. So, just out of curiosity...how many X-men back from the dead is this? Cause I lost count."

Hank paused, taken aback by the question. He fiddled with his pen and clipboard.

"You know, I'm not quite sure I know myself. Hmm. We should keep better track."

"Just a thought," the boy agreed.

He left the wall to lay down on a spare bed and promptly fell asleep.

Hank observed Elixir with envy as he gathered himself to join the fray.

Jubilee was currently at the heart of it.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Jubilee glared, thoroughly sick of everyone's concern. She didn't need it and she didn't want it and she had better things to be doing with her time now that she was no longer a bleeding, broken mess. Scott, in his worry, was treating her like a child. So was Emma. Hank was having a difficult time letting her go as a patient despite her rapid recovery. Rogue and Gambit...hovered. Bobby alternated between looking worried and shocked.

And then there was Logan.

Hulking, glowering, snarling Logan. Enraged at himself for failing her, enraged at the Gorgon for murdering her and then violating her mind, and, Jubilee suspected, enraged at her for refusing to back down in her effort to go after the evil bastard.

"_No," _Jubilee repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. "There is _no_ waiting on this-there is no talking me down. Elektra is ready to move _now_ and I'm going with her."

She looked to Wolverine for support despite his anger. He had, after all, promised her.

Scott pressed his lips into a thin, tight line.

"We're going," Wolverine said, sounding like he'd rather choke on the words. "Either shut the fuck up and get out of our way or suit up. But-" he pinned them each with an inscrutable glare. "We're not running this as an X-mission. We're taking the bastard out. Whether Elektra does it, or I do it-"

"Or _I _ do it," Jubilee cut in, needing the X-men to know exactly where she stood on the matter.

"For god's sake, Jubilation, stop and _listen to yourself_ for a moment," Hank pleaded, sickened by her intent to kill. "You are the last person I would ever have expected this from."

Wolverine flinched at Hank's words.

Jubilee didn't.

"I know what I'm saying, Hank. And I know what I'm doing. I'm sorry, but there's no alternative. Not this time."

Scott bowed his head in what Jubilee hoped was submission. It seemed more like defeat.

"Fine. You're right. It's no longer my place to stop you, or stand in your way."

He turned to face the assembled X-Men.

"Anyone who wants to go, go."

He turned back to Jubilee.

"I want to help you, Jubilee, I do, but-"

"You'll only stand _behind_ a team like X-Force rather than lead it?" Logan growled.

Emma narrowed her sky blue eyes at Wolverine while Jubilee placed a restraining hand on him.

"You're right, Wolverine," Scott responded, his vizor glinting. "I'm not going to stand here and try to sweep what I've done in the past under the proverbial rug. But, thing's have changed. The worst is over-for now at least," he amended. "And the X-men have to stand for something again. I don't want to start the new era by running off to Japan to kill a man no matter how evil he is and no matter how much he deserves it."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Summers," Logan retorted.

"Because running off to Japan, hellbent on revenge worked _so well_ for you last time," Emma accused.

Jubilee rolled her eyes in irritated exasperation as Logan turned his growl on the White Queen.

"Guys! Enough! You do what you gotta do Scott, and I'll do what I've got to." Jubilee turned to the rest of her friends, her family, her heart hardening as she did so. "Anyone else in?"

"Moi," Gambit said, scarlet eyes flashing, accent thick. "I'm not lettin' you outta my sight this time p'tite. Last time you died. We ALL want a piece of this bastard."

"Just so long as I get first dibs, Rem."

"You'd better count me in too, sugar. You, Wolvie, and Gambit is a combination I just don't trust," Rogue said, emerald eyes dark, mouth softening into a smile.

"Look, Jubes..." Bobby started.

"Don't even worry," she cut him off. "Japan is _so_ not your scene."

His pale face melted with relief.

"Just promise me you'll come back this time, huh?"

She choked, suddenly aware that there were some promises she was no longer ready to make so easily.

"If she's not coming back, _none_ of us are," Logan answered for her.

"I don't think any of you should go in the first place," Hank stated, raising himself up. "This is a mistake from the word go and I can't simply stand here and watch my teammates casually decide who's going to go on an assassination mission and who isn't, whatever the reason. Jubilee, this is _not_ who you used to be and-"

"One-hundred and twenty-four," she said clearly, cold eyes staring him down, her gaze trumping his height.

"Excuse me?"

"One hundred and twenty-four. It's the number standing between me and the girl I used to be, Hank. I remember every single one of them, every single person I assassinated, killed, murdered. Whatever. Just because I was brainwashed doesn't take a way from the fact that _I _did it, Hank. And I have to live with that. Not you, not Cyke, _me._ Adding a few more deaths to ensure the Gorgon is gone and dead _forever_ is worth paying the price."

Hank sat down heavily, his broad furry blue shoulders slumping at her sobering words.

"One only needs to look at you, to know the world has changed," Beast responded, head bowed. "Too much I think."

"Or not enough," said Logan.

"Jubilee, I'm afraid I must bow out."

The former firecracker walked over to him, sapphire eyes bright.

"I understand, Hank, really I do. And I love you for it. But, I still have to go."

Jubilee turned to the others.

"Gambit. Rogue. You have an hour. I need to call Elektra."

Logan followed her out the door.


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay, so school has started and things have gotten busy. I was out of town, and I have work and now classes. I'm NOT going to stop writing, but things will drag a bit and for that I'm so so sorry. I know it sucks. Thank you SO much for hanging in there guys! And, of course, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS:)**

"Jubilation."

_Damn,_ Jubilee thought, not wanting to turn and face him. Facing him had been easier through the pain and the drugs. Now, his presence was overwhelming in her clarity and the dark, brooding look in his eyes was overly reminiscent of their night together in Madripoor. Ever since Jubilee had woken up healed, that night had been haunting her like a whisper on the edge of every conscious thought, waiting to descend on her with just the slightest provocation.

And the provocation was chasing her down the hallway.

"That's my name, Wolvie, don't wear it out."

Jubilee rolled her eyes skyward, picking a random crack in the ceiling to focus on as he stalked up behind her. Overly familiar sensations swamped her. Her heart raced, her skin flushed, her spine shivered.

_Gawd, it's like I'm fourteen again. Or Jai, all assassin and no human emotions until I staggered into him in some skeezy bar. And then BAM! Everything at once with no way to control it._

He rounded on her and Jubilee couldn't help but feel the prey to his predator. Her breath caught, and she could only _imagine _the interesting scents his sensitive nose was picking up. She had made peace with it as an adolescent, and then gotten over it-mostly. Since Madripoor, however, she sincerely doubted she'd be "getting over it" anytime soon.

"Darlin,' I ain't that tall," he said gruffly, moving so close she could feel the tension and the body heat rolling off him.

She continued to stare at the ceiling crack.

"Logan, I have to go get ready."

"We need to talk," he countered.

"Now?" she asked incredulous. "_You-_Mr. _Avoidance _himself-wants to talk?"

She still refused to look at him. If she did, she'd be undone.

He gripped her wrist tightly and Jubilee felt her stomach jolt in sympathy as she finally met his gaze.

"I'm not avoiding it this time."

"When you found out about me, you _panicked_ and _bolted._"

"Give me some credit, Jubes, it was one _hell_ of a shock. And then I came back."

She glanced away and he jerked at her arm, forcing her to look at him again, storm-blue eyes intent.

"You bastard," she whispered.

"That's damn right," he agreed. "If I wasn't, we wouldn't be in this situation."

A smile ghosted over her lips.

"You always blame yourself for everything. I might be new to this, but I was always told it takes _two_ or some shit like that."

"So then _we _need to talk," he pressed.

"Jesus, Logan, you _never_ want to talk."

"Maybe I've changed."

"You never change," she insisted, obstinate.

"Christ, darlin', spending an entire fucking year thinking you were dead, _murdered_, does things to a man."

Jubilee swallowed, finding her throat tight and dry. The action wasn't missed by his predator's eyes, Logan's focus drawn to the now healed spot on her neck, his mark conspicuously absent. The beast grumbled in annoyance below the surface.

"You thought I was someone else. It was a m-misunderstanding. A mistake. What else is there to talk about?" Her voice cracked, the tang of salt tinging her jasmine musk.

"Jubilee-

"Look, Logan, I understand, I get it, I don't need the 'kid, I'm sorry, it's my fault' guilt trip followed by the talk followed by the moving past it and pretending it didn't happen while avoiding each other for a few days or years"-a small sob escaped-"or whatever. I'm fine with jumping to the just pretending it didn't happen step so-"

He gripped her shoulders in both powerful hands, drawing her closer to him.

"God help me, I wanted it to be you," he admitted gruffly, his voice so soft, she barely heard him.

She stared up at him in shock, realizing for the first time that his face wasn't the usual closed-off mask she'd expected. His features where rough, but not shut down. His gaze was dark, but steady.

"What?" she whispered.

"I'd be lying if I said Jai didn't remind me of you from word one," he admitted. "I spent the last several days lying to myself cause I didn't want to think about it too closely-hell, Jubes, thinking about you in _any_ capacity hurt too goddamn much. And then it was almost like having you _back._"

"Y-you wanted it to be me?" she asked, voice shaking in disbelief.

He stepped in, closing the space between them, his large hands cupping her wet cheeks.

"Hell _yes_, darlin'. I missed you every goddamn day." He leaned in, his forehead pressing against hers, effectively freezing her with his hold. "I'm not sayin' we didn't make a mess of everything, and I'm not sayin' I can promise you anything, I just-I can't watch you go up against the Gorgon and leave things unsaid."

"I'm scared, Logan." The words were out before she could stop them. She wasn't even aware of making the decision to tell him. "I'm scared of facing him again and losing myself. I'm scared worse of not making it in time and missing my chance forever. Of having his memory _haunt_ me. And I'm scared of losing you because of how thing's have changed."

"I won't let you get lost. Not again. And I'm not going anywhere."

The realization of his intention hit her just before his mouth met hers. The kiss was light, almost timid, like he was cautiously testing unfamiliar waters. And it was over far too soon.

"You taste better now that you're you," he breathed. "Wasn't sure of how much that night happened cause you weren't you or cause you _were_."

"Logan, you're not making any damn sense."

"Damn it," he muttered.

"Wolvie?"

"M' not interruptin' now am I?" Gambit rounded the corner, decked out in body armor, complete with trench coat billowing around him in a convincing impression of a cape. The smug twist to his soft, full-lipped mouth and the spark in his scarlet eyes gave Jubilee the insane urge to slap him across his handsome, scruffy face.

"Can I help you, Rem?" Jubilee asked, her tone acerbic. She appreciated that her old friend was worried on her behalf. She appreciated that the Cajun thief knew her biggest weakness was the feral in front of her and that Remy had a protective streak a mile long. But, dammit, there were was a right time and there was a wrong time and Gambit was picking the _wrong time_.

"Oui, you can help Gambit by comin' with me. Rogue accepted a call on your behalf. Elektra's waiting."

Jubilee glanced at Logan, apology written from her sapphire eyes to her pressed lips.

"Go," he said even as his hand clamped down on her wrist like a vice. With some effort, he relinquished his hold on her. "I'll be right behind you."

Jubilee gave him a _look_ that she had perfected in the several years she'd known him; a strange mix of warning and gratefulness that only he could invoke. Just a simple glance and he knew she wanted to say _thanks for being there, but don't fuck this up with your typical overprotective bull_.

She needed to trust him to stay out of trouble.

Jubilee glanced at Remy similarly before jogging down the hall and leaving the men to their testosterone-laden posturing.

Gambit watched the petite run off, then turned to face Wolverine, unconsciously raising himself to his full height, long, lean fingers thumbing benign playing cards in his coat pocket.

"Gambit," Wolverine stated in an open challenge. The Cajun had a lot of nerve thinking that he was a variable in this particular equation.

"What the hell do ya think you're doin', Wolverine?" Gambit asked, his suave demeanor giving way to the hard edge underneath.

"What I'm doing ain't any of your goddamn business, Lebeau."

"Listen, homme, I'm not goin' to say this is particularly surprising or that I didn't see this comin'. In my mind, it's been brewin' for a while."

"So just cause you 'saw this coming' you think it's your place to step in and spout bullshit?" Wolverine snarled.

"She's going up against the man who _murdered her_-"

"_No one_ fucking knows that better'n _me_!"

"And here you are confusing the hell outta her. That's the last thing the petite needs right now."

"She'll be fine," Logan insisted, needing his statement to be true. "_This _time she won't be alone. This time I'll be there."

Gambit let out a mocking laugh.

"The way I hear it, the Gorgon killed you last time. Or near as. So, clearly, having you there to protect her will be the answer to _all_ our problems," he said scathingly.

Logan made a supreme effort to hold his claws in.

"You're a real jackass Gambit. And for the record, there's a few things you're not taking into account," Logan said, his sharp teeth made evident by his dangerous grin.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Gambit asked as Logan stalked towards the direction Jubilee had gone, leaving the Cajun to follow in his wake.

"You haven't seen what she's capable of now."

"""""""""""""

Jubilee skidded into the room in a near imitation of her thirteen-year-old self, and did her best to pretend she wasn't running away from Wolverine.

"Jubes?"

"Rogue!" she exclaimed, cheeks flushed a bright pink, her eyes bright.

"Ya doin' ok, suger?" The older woman asked, her suspicions on the rise.

"Yep-I'm fine-I'm great."

"Uh-huh." Rogue responded in a dry drawl. "I can see that."

Jubilee glowered in a way that said later. "Elektra?"

Rogue pressed a button near the large flat screen and Jubilee was suddenly face to face with her manipulative savior; her glory of black, glossy hair crowning emerald eyes that were alight with interest dominated the screen.

Jubilee stared dumbly, a strange mix of expectations and realization battling within her. As Jai, Elektra was a simply another ninja vying for power, albeit an incredibly talented one. However, Jubilee had grown up with this woman as an untouchable legend who garnered fear in most of the superhero community, to say nothing of Wolverine's respect.

She found the reality of her situation jarring to say the least.

_A year ago I was out of the superhero biz. Now I'm in the thick of it with Wolvie and Elektra and SHIELD and the Gorgon. How the hell did this happen to _me?

Comprehension narrowed the Greek woman's sharp eyes.

"Jai? Is that you?"

"Huh! Oh, duh! Yeah, it's me," Jubilee mentally slapped herself. _I just said DUH to Elektra. Ugh, not the savviest answer. _

_"Um, the real me, that is. My name's Jubilee. And I...used to be an X-Man," she continued._

_And sometimes that's like being an alcoholic. Not at ALL good for your health._

Jubilee glanced at Rogue for help and the Southern belle shrugged as if to say she was doing well enough.

"You _used_ to be an X-man?" Elektra inquired.

"I grew up with them. I...lost my powers on M-Day."

_And that's all I have to say about that,_ Jubilee quoted Forrest Gump to herself.

"So. You were the one," Elektra said in a haunting voice.

"Excuse me?"

"The one Logan died for a year ago. I had always wondered...Well. I guess that makes more sense than it doesn't," she said, smiling coldly. "The Gorgon always knew how to take advantage of a man's weakness."

"Yeah, because it's an original fucking theme with me," Logan growled as he entered the room, making Jubilee nearly jump a mile out of her skin. "Go after the girl."

Jubilee narrowed her blue eyes.

"I'm _more_ than someone's weakness, thank you very much. And the Gorgon is gonna learn that _real _soon."

Elektra's grin turned positively wicked.

"I wouldn't be asking for your help if I didn't know that was the case."

"Glad we have that understanding," Jubilee responded.

Logan stepped up behind her, causing a shiver to dance down her spine.

_Great, we're back to that game again,_ she thought. _I _really_ wish I could paff him. He know exactly what he's doing._

She refocused on Elektra.

"I'm hoping you're the one with the game plan," Jubilee started. "I'm a little fried what with the getting all my memories back and being _tortured_ back into my original genome or whatever and dealing with being back from the dead."

Elektra frowned slightly, as if to say that's interesting.

"How fast can you get to Japan?" the Greek ninja asked.

"Few hours in the X-Jet," Wolverine piped up.

"Then I suggest you _get here_. We'll go from there."

Elektra cut the feed and Jubilee sighed in resignation.

"Because _that _was illuminating."

Wolverine grinned emphatically.

"Don't worry, darlin'," he said. "She has a plan. Trust me."

Jubilee turned to Rogue and Gambit.

"Ready to hit the road, like, now?" Jubilee asked, suddenly unsure that they would be so willing to follow her.

Rogue tugged on Remy's trench coat. "We'll go get our gear and prep the jet. We leave as soon as you're ready, sugar."

Jubilee nodded in relief and turned to Logan.

"Wolvie?"

"You go on ahead, Jubes. I gotta phone call to make."


End file.
